Amid increasing cases of substance abuse and gender-based violence in Nigeria, with attendant toll on socio-political and economic life of the youths ,two child experts and educationists have stressed the need for schools to adopt a threefold educational initiatives towards urgent implementation of ongoing fight against the social malaise.
The recommendations which were adopted at a recent workshop for teachers in Osun State are the setting up of Drug-free Press Club in schools ,the energisation of literary and debating society programmes and the engagement of students in creative drama which fulcrums on the upliftment of moral values in school environments.
The three-pronged policy is encapsulated from two lectures delivered separately by the Assistant State Commander of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Dr Yetunde Ofoha and the Director of Public Schools, Mrs. A.O. Adeoye .
The two experts agreed that the impartation of needed knowledge through the faithful implementation of their recommendations would go a long way to inculcating sound academic and moral values in the lives of students while building in their psychology, the stamina vital to coping with pressure of life as well as helping to debunk the fallacy that prosperity comes without labour.
Both of them stressed that it was important to integrate the three initiatives into the school time table and argued that if the ongoing fight against drug abuse and addiction would not end up as a mere shadow-chasing antics, the sensitisation must be methodically inculcated into the school system, beginning from their assembly so that it would serve as a lifeblood which students would carry beyond the four walls of the schools .
The Assistant State Commander of NDLEA expressed regret that Nigeria which formerly was regarded as a transit country for hard drugs has now become a producer, consumer and trafficker country, pointing out that the immediate victims are youths, regarded as future leaders.
Dr Ofoha equally noted that it was not even palatable that Osun state is purportedly classified among states with the highest cases of drug addicts.
She however noted with delight that the United Nation has encouraged the incorporation of spiritualism in the prevention of substance abuse and in the rehabilitation of drug addicts, adding that the NDLEA has equally been operating new strategies in its War Against Drug Addiction, acronymed WADA.
In her own contribution, the Director of Public Schools in the Ministry of Education, Mrs Adeoye who charged teachers that " discipline is inseparable from teaching," urged workshop participants to be mindful of their behaviours with students whom they are supposed to lead by examples, adding that:" a toaster ( child abuser) of students can't preach honesty before his or her students. "
The Director of Public Schools who described the workshop as very timely, stated that the ministry of education in Osun state is committed to the march against drug abuse and gender-based violence ,stressing that the month of March is intensifying its march against the menace through FIGHT, being the acronymed for Fill In The Gap And Halt The Trend .
In the commitment of the state Government to rid Osun state of social malaise, Mrs Adeoye disclosed that no fewer than 5,000 new teachers are being recruited by the state government towards the education of youths while ensuring that they equip their students with moral armament needed to fortify them as future leaders.
At the Uniosun Teaching Hospital, Osogbo workshop venue in which the Osogbo Window on America is located ,resource persons drawn from the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA and the Ministry of Education ,presented papers while the Chief Executive Director of Trauma of Dreadlocked Publisher , Olalere Fagbola treated participants to renditions of poetry in support of the Fight.
Earlier, the Director of Osogbo Window on America, Mr. Samuel Ibitoye stated that the Window is an initiative of the Public Affairs of the U.S. Consulate , stressing that the workshop,through collaborative efforts with Imole foundation, is part of programmes by which the Window has not relented in empowering youths in Osun state through different educative initiatives geared at moulding their minds in being productive .
The Imole Foundation, a nongovernmental organisation was established by Mrs Hembadoon Babatunde and under the Board Chairmanship of Mr Kehinde Babatunde .
Imole foundation. The organisation is committed to the fight against drug abuse, sexual abuse and gender-based violence in schools across Africa.
The founder has been using her book, WOUNDS THAT WON'T HEAL " now adopted by the Osun State Government for the use of schools in her sensitisation campaign to educate students as well as parents in different programmes for early advocacy for kids .
BY OLALERE FAGBOLA
No comments:
Post a Comment