State Reiterates Commitment to Protect Pupils

The Lagos State Government has restated its commitment to ensuring the protection of children in public and private schools across the State.

Speaking during the conclusion of a three-day intervention seminar tagged: “Safeguarding and child protection’’ for private schools, the Director-General of the Office of Education Quality Assurance (OEQA), Abiola Seriki-Ayeni said the agency has ensured that schools complied with minimum safety standards as standardisation is important in child protection.

Seriki-Ayeni, who was represented by the Director, Private Education, and Special Programmes, Falayi Bambi noted that the State Government has continued to put in place adequate measures to stop insecurity in schools, noting that OEQA will continue to work tirelessly in ensuring the safety of students so that teaching and learning will continue uninterrupted.

She highlighted the need for schools to recognise their role in ensuring children’s well-being and safety, especially as they spend a significant time of their day in school. According to her, schools are institutions of learning hence they have to comply with standards of learning as well as protection.

She noted that the state government is emphatic on child protection policy, but, however, emphasised that the state government should not be left alone to tackle the issue of safety and security in schools, noting that it is essential for schools to have a ‘child protection officer’ for complaint and inquiry.

She added that the doors of OEQA are opened for opinions and suggestions on how to improve the education standards as they affect learning outcomes in the State.

She urged participants to take advantage of the free online course “Introduction of Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy” on the agency’s website www.oeqalagos.com, which some educators have successfully completed, encouraging those who haven’t taken the course to do so.