… as ministry establishes security committees across schools
. Assures parents, guardians of safer school environment
Segun Ayinde, Abeokuta
As schools resume on September 14, the Ogun State Government has strengthened its collaboration with security agencies through the established Safe School Steering Committee across primary and secondary schools in the state.
The Commissioner of Education, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, who disclosed this at a press conference yesterday in Abeokuta, the state capital, said that initiative is aimed at ensuring a safe and secure environment that is conducive to effective teaching and learning.
Arigbabu said that the ministry engaged the security agencies including the police, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps(NSCDC), Ogun State Community, Social Orientation and Safety Corps( So-Safe) the Amotekun and the National School Crime Prevention Corps.
He said that the the purpose of the the meeting with the security agencies is to strengthen security measures in the schools before the resumption date and to assure parents and guardians on secured environment for learners, teachers and other school staff.
The Commissioner, who stressed the need for all hands to be on deck to ensure the safety and security of learners across the state, said the Safe School Steering Committee had been established at both the state where he is the chairman and the local level where the zonal education officers are the chairmen.
The Commissioner, who emphasized the need for all stakeholders to work together to ensure the safety and security of learners across the state, stated that the Safe School Steering Committee had been established at both the state and local levels.
He explained that the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa serves as the chairman at federal level, he serves as the chairman of the committee at the state level, and Zonal Education Officers chair the committees at the local level, as well as the principals who serve as chairmen at school level.
Arigbabu stated that such an arrangement at the various levels would enable the committee to work more closely with security agencies on precautionary measures and surveillance, particularly with the Police School Protection Squad operatives deployed to schools across the 20 Local Government Areas of the State.
“Security is everybody business you can see that almost 80% everything of are talking about can be solved through precautions, and surveillance. So today is for Principals, Head teachers and security agencies. The security agencies are usually brought to that same meeting where they talk to the teachers and give them security tips and let them know that they are always ready to support them.”
“Today’s engagement with the commissioner of Police, CP Ojajuni was represented and also the NSCDC Commandant was represented by officer in charge of Safe School and So-Safe was there, National Schools Crime Corps was there, Amotekun. So we were able to tell the security agencies what our expectation are from them and not just what they ask us to do.”
“In the area of safe school, I mean security, there is what the federal ministry of education directed us to do setting up the Safe School Steering Committee. The federal minister of education is the National chairman of that committee, We have also set up at the state level and I am the chairman of that committee in the state, and at the zonal level which is the local government level, the zonal education officer is the chairman at the council level and the principal is the head at school level.” he added.
