Parents of students in public secondary schools in Ogun State have signed an undertaking that their children and wards would not engage in hooliganism.
The undertaking is one of the strategies adopted by the state government to arrest hooliganism and other unruly conducts among students.
Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abeokuta yesterday that the development had ensured peace within and outside schools premises.
The commissioner stated that government had redoubled its efforts at ensuring that hooliganism and thuggery were brought to an end in its schools.
He said that government engaged stakeholders including officials of the ministry, head teachers, principals, security agencies, teachers unions and parents to address misconducts by students.
Arigbabu added that the state government had set up counseling centres to take care of students who misbehaved and needed attention and rehabilitation.
“Towards the end of First Term, last year, there were series of misbehaviors in these schools and situations where some parents went to schools to harass officials because their wards were disciplined.
“We started various stakeholders’ engagements with the ministry’s officials, zonal education officers, head teachers and principals of schools, teachers and teachers union; we also had engagement with security agencies.
“All these put together was capped with attendance target in which any learner that failed to come to school for at least 70 per cent of the term, will not be allowed to write examination.
“All parents and students have signed the undertaking; it was 100 per cent compliance because they realised that anyone who failed to sign would not be allowed into the schools,’’ Arigbabu added.
The commissioner stressed that the measures put together had helped in returning sanity into Ogun State’s public schools.
