From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Beginning from today, male and female students in secondary schools in five towns in Bauchi State can no longer study together under one classrooms or engage in other extra curricular activities together, the state government has announced.
It lamented that immorality, especially sexual immorality, is on the rise in secondary schools in the state, hence the decision to separate male and female.
Commissioner for Education, Dr. Aliyu Tilde, confirmed the decision in an interview with BBC Hausa Service.
He disclosed that the first phase of the decision would take place in all secondary schools in Bauchi, Misau, Ningi, Jama’are, Azare areas, while others would join soon.
He said: “We took this decision to promote morals among children in secondary schools especially those at their puberty age who have begun to experiment sex and other activities in the school. Some of the actions of these children are against our religion and culture, hence the need for the decision to protect and guide them properly.
“We have been having issues of sexual immorality in Bauchi State especially in last 10 years. At point, children of minor age in same class were marrying themselves and it was even reported in the media.
“If we allow this to continue, it will erode the gains we made in education in the last 60 years. It will also result in parents withdrawing their female children from school and locking them up at home, and you know the implications of such decision.
“Undoubtedly, God made them male and female, and expectedly, they should be attracted to each other, but that will be only for the purposes of marriage and nothing else.
“So, leaving these male and female students to study together under one classrooms or engage extra curricular activities together will not be good for us in the State, hence the decision to separate them so they can concentrate and keep themselves away from sexual immorality.”