By Miracle Ogunde
The federal government has decried the increasing rate of bullying in nursery and primary schools nationwide.
Minister of Education Dr Maruf Alausa, on Wednesday at a press briefing in Abuja shared his deep concern regarding the increasing occurrences of bullying, violence, and other negative behaviours in secondary schools, stressing their harmful effects on students’ academic performance, mental health, and moral values.
Alausa pointed out the serious repercussions of bullying and violence, such as declining academic performance, mental health issues, increased dropout rates, and a deterioration of moral values.
In lieu of this, the Federal Ministry of Education has announced the launch of a platform for whistleblowers to report bullying cases anonymously.
The minister revealed that the government is working to end bullying using a dedicated platform.
He said, “We are partnering with the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies to curb cultism and other criminal activities in schools. A dedicated helpline and online platform will be established to allow students and parents to report cases of bullying and violence anonymously.”
The minister also encouraged students to say no to bullying, violence, and cultism, and to report any incidents to trusted adults.
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