The Niger State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education has expressed deep concern over the recent incident involving the use of vulgar and violent language in a school debate by a pupil.
This concern was expressed in a press statement issued and made available to journalists on 16/02/2024 in Minna by the Information Officer of the Ministry, Malam Jibrin Usman Kodo. The statement notes that the ministry’s reaction was prompted by a video circulating on social media, depicting a primary school pupil using inappropriate language during a debate competition in one of the schools in Niger State.
According to the statement, the ministry observed with dismay the disturbing content of the video, which had gone viral on social media. It was evident that the student had allegedly been coached by unnamed individuals to use violence and vulgar language in his presentation.
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“Such behavior is not only unacceptable to the Ministry but also goes against the values of respect and decorum that should be upheld in educational settings,” the statement maintained.
It added that the Ministry, under the leadership of the Hon. Commissioner, Dr. Hadiza Asabe Mohammed, emphasizes the importance of promoting a positive and respectful learning environment for students and pupils at their formative age. The use of vulgar and violent language not only reflects poorly on the individual pupil but also on the school and the educational system as a whole.
Accordingly, the statement notes that in view of the foregoing, the Commissioner has vowed to investigate the incident further and take appropriate disciplinary action against those responsible for coaching the student to use such language.
Dr. Hadiza has also urged schools to reinforce the importance of proper conduct among students, both in and out of the classroom.
The statement stresses that the Ministry remains committed to upholding high standards of behavior and academic excellence in schools and will not tolerate any form of behavior that undermines these principles.
Meanwhile, when our correspondent in the state called on Monday to confirm from the Ministry if it was true that the said school had been shut down by the operatives of the Niger State Directorate of the DSS in Minna over the alleged controversial school debate recently at Agair Local Government Area of the state, the Information Officer of the Ministry, Malam Jibrin Usman Kodo, stated emphatically that to the best of his knowledge, it was not true. He stated this in a brief telephone interview in Minna on Monday, 19th February 2024.
