The Lagos State Government, LASG, has recalled the Principal of Girls Secondary School, Mrs. C.O. Coker, and four other teachers, who were suspended after a case of alleged brutality was reported and investigated.
The principal and the teachers: Mr. Bello (Mathematics), Mrs. Tejumaye (English language), Mrs. Omoge (Physical Education) and Mr. Bakare (Economics), had been suspended for their involvement in the brutality of a 14-year-old pupil of the school, Anyalewechi Ogechi.
It would be recalled that Ogechi, a Senior Secondary School 2 student, was said to have been punished after a senior prefect of the school, simply identified as Zainab, complained to the principal that Ogechi returned a slap she gave her for being rude.
The principal, Mrs. C.O. Coker alongside the just suspended teachers, reportedly flogged Ogechi following the complaint from the senior prefect, and inflicted injuries on her.
They took turns to slap her and the principal also ordered the prefect to slap her.
However, the Punch is reporting that Coker and the teachers had returned to the school for the new term. The paper reports that the case had been withdrawn and the affected workers recalled after the intervention of the Nigerian Union of Teachers, NUT.
According to a source, “The principal of the school has been recalled to the school, as well as all the affected teachers.
“Immediately the state government ordered their suspension, the case was reported to the NUT. The union then wrote the government, asking that the decision be rescinded; the NUT kicked against the suspension and advised that they should be returned to the school.
“They have been asked to go back, and that was just few days after the suspension. There is no way the pupil can stay in the school with what has happened.”
Confirming the reports, the Chairman of the NUT, Segun Raheem, said investigations showed that Ogechi’s injuries were fabricated.
He said, “When we heard of the case, we swung into action. We went to the school and the education district to have firsthand information of what actually transpired.
“Immediately the incident happened, what the district did was to ask all of them to stop working and start reporting to the district. We felt the decision was wrong. How can you just take action against people without hearing from them or issuing queries?
“The district said a committee was set up by the Ministry of Youths and Sports, and we said it was wrong because the workers were under the Ministry of Education.
“The Ministry of Education in conjunction with the district set up a Personnel Management Board, PMB, which said “the principal and teachers did not do enough to save the situation, the PMB however recommended some punishments for the teachers.”
Furthermore, the Chairman noted that it was discovered that the photos of Ogechi’s injuries were doctored.
According to him, the claim that she was taken to a hospital after the beating was also not true.
He said, “We went to the school and took a real life photograph of the girl and there were signs of strokes of cane on her back because she’s fair. Any fair-complexioned person, even if you hold the person, there will be marks. And that was exactly what we felt.
“The marks were fabricated. It is the work of an expert. The claim that the girl was sick or taken to the hospital are all lies. They are the handiwork of a non-governmental organisation that wants to be relevant. The case was exaggerated out of proportion.”
Meanwhile, the victim’s brother, Joseph, said he was disappointed in the NUT for saying the photos were fabricated, adding that the family was awaiting school’s resumption before taking a decision on the matter.
Joseph said, “We are waiting for the time the school will resume and that is when we will decide whether Ogechi will continue in that school or not.
“But I feel disappointed if it is true that someone is claiming that my sister’s assault photos were doctored. I may not have any option but to pursue the legal option open to us,” Joseph said.
No comments:
Post a Comment