The Federal Government of Nigeria has issued a directive to the management of Federal Government Colleges (FGCs), also known as unity colleges, to ‘send home’ students whose parents sued the schools.
The federal government through its education ministry in a 17 July circular to principals of all unity colleges, warned that any child or ward of a person who sued the school “will be sent home until there is a court decision on the said litigation”.
Also, the ministry is set to impose heavy sanctions against parents who post their grievances with the schools or the schools’ activities on social media.
The decision as contained in the circular was to ensure “the stability of our colleges for a smooth and peaceful academic environment”.
However, one-time Chair of the National Human Rights Commission, Law Teacher, and a former President-General of the Unity Schools Old Students Association (USOSA), Chidi Odinkalu, said the circular is akin to shutting parents’ efforts to hold the schools accountable.
Insisting that directive violates the Child Rights Act, Prof. Odinkalu in a tweet on Tuesday said:
“This circular issued by @NigEducation seeks to shut down efforts by parents to hold accountable rogue school management in the #UnitySchools. “Even worse, it violates the #ChildRightsAct & the UBEC Act: u cannot exclude children from school for the actions of their parents!”
Meanwhile, the circular signed by the Director of Senior Secondary Education, Binta Abdulkadir, disclosed that the decision was in response to the actions of parents with regard to certain challenges in the unity colleges.
It accused parents of publishing false and negative information about the activities of the schools on social media.
It also accused them of not following proper, peaceful communication and resolution channels.
The ministry added that some parents “sow seeds of disunity to distract the management of the schools in cases where the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) and the School-Based Management Committee (SBMC) have cordial working relationships with the schools.”
The ministry, therefore, asked principals to invoke the content of a 20th September 2021 circular on the “indiscriminate use of media platforms to tarnish the image” of the colleges.
“Principals are directed henceforth to send home wards of parents who take the FUCs/Principals/stakeholders like PTA/SBMC to court. Their wards will remain with them until the court case is decided,” it said.
In 2016, the ministry issued a similar circular, threatening to expel students if their parents used social media to “spread false and negative information” against the schools
Prof. Odinkalu, who at the time was the president of Unity Schools Old Students Association, said the directive implied the ministry was moving against “free expression”.
Premium Times
