WASSCE JUBILATION: ONDO REHABILITATES ARRESTED STUDENTS
Read Time:2 Minute, 31 Second
By:Aminat Tajudeen
The Ondo State Government has completed the rehabilitation and reorientation of students from Oyemekun Grammar School and Aquinas College, Akure, who were arrested following a wild celebration after their final West African Senior School Certificate Examination papers.
The development was disclosed in a statement issued on Tuesday by the Press Officer of the state Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Bisi Lawani.
According to the statement, the four-week rehabilitation programme was conducted during the school holiday by the ministry in partnership with the Nigerian Correctional Service, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and the Ondo State Neuro-Psychiatric Specialist Hospital.
The state Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Igbekele Ajibefun, said the initiative was designed to address negative behaviours, promote discipline and responsible conduct, and educate the students on the consequences of actions that could endanger public safety or disrupt social order.
Ajibefun described the programme as a new approach to correcting student misconduct, noting that the government opted for counselling and rehabilitation rather than measures that could have lasting negative effects on the students’ future.
He assured the students and their parents that the affected students had been removed from the ministry’s Black Book and that their previously withheld WASSCE certificates would be released.
The commissioner urged the students to maintain responsible behaviour, reminding them that their conduct reflects on their families and the country.
He added that the initiative demonstrated the state government’s commitment to promoting discipline, good morals and responsible behaviour among students alongside academic excellence.
The students had earlier attracted public attention after a viral video showed them celebrating on the streets after completing their final examinations. Some were seen tearing their school uniforms and chanting inappropriate slogans, among other indecent acts.
Following the incident, some of the students were arrested and subjected to sanctions and rehabilitation. They have now completed the rehabilitation programme.
The Director of Guidance and Counselling, Continuous Assessment and Evaluation in the ministry, Mrs Olufunke Ademuyiwa, said the programme featured psycho-education, individual and group counselling, behavioural reflection and anger-management sessions.
She said the students showed significant positive changes during the programme and expressed willingness to influence their peers positively.
According to Ademuyiwa, the students also visited the Ondo State Neuro-Psychiatric Specialist Hospital and the Correctional Centre in Akure for educational tours and counselling sessions with professionals.
The Ondo State Commandant of the NDLEA, Gabriel Folayemi, commended those involved in the programme and urged the students to make responsible decisions about their behaviour and choice of friends.
Similarly, the Public Relations Officer of the Nigerian Correctional Service in Ondo State, Oyewole Adedayo, advised the students to avoid criminal activities that could result in imprisonment.
He also called on teachers to strengthen supervision of students and urged parents and guardians to pay closer attention to the upbringing and behaviour of their children.
The state government said the ministry would continue to monitor the rehabilitated students to ensure that the behavioural improvements achieved during the programme are sustained.
Happy
0 %
Sad
0 %
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
0 %
Surprise
0 %
0
0