Compliment Govt efforts over safety in schools, Principal charges parents

Principal of Federal Government College, Ijanikin in Lagos, Mrs. Olufunmilayo Essien, has called on parents to join hands with the Federal Government to realise the goal behind the introduction of Safety Education in federal schools.

Essien made the call on the sideline of the commissioning and handing over of some projects donated recently by the 1992 Alumni Association of the institution in Lagos.

For academic excellence to be achieved, she says, there was need for parents to show serious commitment and step up their responsibilities in the welfare of their children and wards.

“Parents must compliment the efforts of the schools in ensuring the safety of their children at all times especially in this period when kidnapping and other vices are in the rise.

“Here in our school, for instance, we give our children safety education lessons from time to time, as proposed by the federal government.”

The educationist informed the alumni association that the school now talks to students on the need for them to always walk in groups as well as report whenever they discover that any of their class mates is not there.

“In addition, we emphasise the need for them to always appear in their correct and appropriate school uniforms at all times and avoid speaking to strange persons or those they were not familiar with,’’ she said.

According to Essien, the Federal Government has insisted on the importance of safety education and why it must be thoroughly taught in the schools as part of Civic Education which is embedded in the curriculum.

”Schools are expected to impart this on the learners as out-of-curriculum teaching or ‘hidden’ curriculum.

“The Federal Ministry of Education has taking the issue of Safety Education seriously as we are told from time to time how to guide the children through seminars and workshops. This will ensure that we improve our skills and cactus on security and safety in schools and environs.”

The Daily Times gathered that it is for this reason that federal school authorities are encouraged to press on parents to join hands with schools to ensure that the safety or security education idea is effectively impacted on the students.

Emphasising that education remains a “collaborative project” between the home and the schools, Essien revealed that it was for this reason that the Federal Ministry of Education endorsed the school-community-relationship scheme in schools, and approved the School Based Management Committee and the Parent Teacher Association as collaborative bodies.

“Parents on their own must live up to their responsibility in ensuring that their children are well monitored and tutored on matters of security. The school, on its part is always willing to provide useful information or security tips that would ensure safety of the children.”

Essien cautioned parents not to leave the security and safety of their children entirely to the schools alone, reminding them that as parents, they also have a huge role to play – just as they must insist on knowing the type of friends their children keep, where they go after school hours and where they are at any given point in time.

The Principal charged parents also to give these children moral and psychological pep talks always.

Lauding the Federal Government College, Ijanikin’s 1992 alumni association for their magnanimity by providing what she described as a state-of-the-art Science Laboratory and a world class buffer clinic for the use of the students,

Essien said the Old Students of this college have been very supportive as evidenced by the commissioning of two great projects they have completed and donated to their Alma-Mata.

“The National body decided to renovate, re-roof and re-equip our chemistry laboratory into some sort of modern science centre and, in the same vein, the 1992 alumnus also commissioned a buffer clinic, a sick bay annex as part of activities to mark their 25th year of leaving the college.

“I must commend them for this show of love as these projects would go a long way in impacting teaching and learning to the students,’’ the Principal said.

The Chairperson, Caretaker Committee of the 1992 Alumni, Mr. Sherrif Adesanya, said that the intervention was born out of their love for the college.

“We have a very strong, nostalgic tie with the school and so we felt it proper to also give back to our Alma Mata as part of our Corporate Social Responsibility.

“We considered the fact that the population of students today in the college cannot compare to what we had in our days and this most likely would result to decay of infrastructure.”

Adesanya revealed that this compelled them to look back and decided on the best way to assist in providing facilities that would enhance teaching and learning.