The Taraba Ministry of Education in collaboration with UNESCO and Society for Family Health (SFH) has stepped down the national School Rules and Regulations document to be implemented in primary and secondary schools across the state.
Speaking at the dissemination meeting in Jalingo on Monday, the Programme Manager of the Society for Family Health, Mrs Aisha Dadi, explained that Nigeria, its states, and schools have a strong reason for introducing and implementing the harmonised school rules and regulations.
“The country believes that the values, behaviour, and attitudes built within the school community are significant in shaping the future of its young people,” she said.
Aisha who also represented UNESCO at the event, observed that the country sought to ensure that the environment in the schools are safe and supportive for pupils, learners, teachers and staff.
She said that the school Rules and Regulations are therefore designed to ensure that all children and young people have access to safe, inclusive, health-promoting learning environment.
“There is a need to step up efforts to eliminate school-related violence and bullying, including gender-based violence, to prevent discrimination and to support schools to promote healthy lifestyles”, she said.
Speaking earlier, the state Commissioner for Education in Taraba, Mr Johannes Jigem, explained that the School Rules and Regulations for primary and secondary schools was a comprehensive document that provides an all-inclusive and uniform guideline for primary and secondary schools (private and public schools) in Taraba.
The commissioner, who was represented by the secretary of the ministry Mr. Bala Namiji, said: “A major problem is the lack of uniformity and standardisation of school rules and regulations.
“An example includes the perception of corporal punishment, which seems to vary across schools.
“While some schools abhor corporal punishment, others recommend it as an effective punitive measure.
Jegem, therefore, said that it became necessary to develop a prototype rules and regulations inclusive of all issues of gender-based violence, which would also ensure uniformity and standardisation of the rules and regulations for primary and secondary schools across the state.
He said that it was based on the foregoing that the Taraba Ministry of Education came up with a committee comprising members drawn from stakeholders within the sector to review and recommend a befitting document of school Rules and Regulations for the state.
He thanked UNESCO, the Federal Ministry of Education and Society for Family Health (SFH) for their commitment to the production and domestication of the document for all primary and secondary schools in the state.