The recent sex scandal involving a female pupil and some male pupils of Chrisland Schools points to the general indiscipline in most Nigerian schools, poor parenting and growing moral decadence in the society.  The video of the sexual misconduct, which went viral, occurred in Dubai where the pupils went for the World School Games from March 10-13, 2022.

Following the outrage that greeted the sexual misconduct, the Lagos State government swiftly shut all the Chrisland Schools in the state on April 18, 2022 until the full investigation of the matter. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, however, ordered the reopening of all Chrisland Schools in the state. According to the State Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Folasade Adefisayo, the government reopened the Chrisland Schools to ensure that other students are not denied access to learning while investigation into the matter continues. This consideration is well-thought.

This is not the first time Chrisland Schools would be in the news for wrong reasons. Three years ago, a supervisor at the Victoria Garden City campus of the school was reportedly sentenced to 60 years in prison by Justice Sybil Nwaka of an Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court for defiling a two-year-old child.

The Christland Schools mess has brought to the fore the fact that school pupils are gradually being affected by the global pornography epidemic promoted mainly by the internet and other lewd channels. The first incident in the school exposed abuse of school children, which is now rife across the country. Like in private schools, so it is in public school. In December last year, a five-year-old child, Hanifa Abubakar, was killed by the proprietor of her school, Abdulmalik Tanko, in Nasarawa Local Government Area of Kano State, despite collecting N100, 000 as part of the N6 million ransom. Before then, Ochanya Elizabeth Ogbaje, the 13-year-old victim of sexual violence, died of complications from Vesicovaginal Fistula (VVF) on October 17, 2018 following series of sexual abuse by her uncle and his son.

We condemn the sexual acts by the pupils of Chrisland Schools as well as public schools and the apparent laxity on the part of the supervisory authorities. Beyond the investigation of the matter in Christland, the Lagos State government should come up with measures to stem the upsurge of immorality in schools in the state – private and public. We call for adequate supervision and monitoring of all schools in the state.

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The promise by the state government for an extensive assessment of the school’s procedure, especially on external trips and excursions, to identify safety gaps and prevent occurrence of such incidents, is commendable.  However, this should not be restricted to the school. Immorality and abuses are also rampant in public schools. This must be arrested.

It is gratifying that the Ministry of Education has promised to launch a review of the guidelines and protocols governing private and public schools across the state within the next one month. This must be done with dispatch. Discipline in schools must be taken seriously. No efforts should be spared in ensuring that the pupils are on the path of moral rectitude and also safe in school. Since children are the future of any country, they must be protected from sexual abuse and other vices.

This is the time to prioritise school discipline and good parenting. Exposure to pornography and other harmful images might have aggravated the Chrisland incident. Moral decadence in the society is pervasive and needs to be tackled. There is need to inculcate moral instruction in school curriculum.

Let parents monitor the activities of their children and wards. The responsibility of bringing up the child should not be surrendered to the teachers. Putting children in boarding schools is not enough. There is need to monitor them, whether at school or at home.

We urge those charged with the responsibility of guarding and protecting the children in the schools not to abdicate their duties or get compromised. Schools should update their surveillance on the children, whether in the premises or outside, considering what has happened in Dubai with the Chrisland kids. In all, school proprietors and principals should stop living in denial when negative things happen concerning their schools.