Violence in Ogun schools: The impact of COVID-19, dearth of human and physical infrastructures

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To say that the past one week have been one of unrest in various secondary schools and tertiary institutions in Ogun state is an understatement.
This is because,at least two secondary schools in the state capital and one tertiary institution have experienced one form of violent or the other on its grounds and neighbouring communities on account of clashes between students of rival schools.


It will be recalled since the return to school after the Covid-19 lockdown and the attendant protocols after reopening,students are less engaged because of the limited number of hours they spend in classes.
It is more compounded when such schools are first generation schools which makes them the first choice of parents and even civil servants who cannot afford private schools.This factor alone make such schools have to cope with population bustling to its seems.
They now have an average of students like 120-140 students in each arm of classes ordinarily built for 45 students.
For instance,the African Church grammar school, Ita Iyalode,Abeokuta ,one of the first generation schools in the town and preferred choice of parents and civil servants because of its records in West African School certificate examinations and other external exams,now have shortage of classes such that SS1 and SS 3 students with each arm made up of 120-140 students had before the Covid-19 pandemic crowd into one classroom to receive lessons.

What is more,the adoption of the social distancing rule of schools in the state have made it mandatory for schools to have two shifts of three hours each from 8-11am and 12-3.00 pm.
The attendant result is that students who left home early in the morning roam about surrounding areas while some go to neighbouring schools. As a result,several students who ordinarily are supposed to be at school for six hours spent three hours instead .
Furthermore, students who are supposed to resume fully in the early hours play around other neighbouring schools where they allegedly join band gangs when they are supposed to be in school.
This mix of different social behaviours often lead to clashes between students of other schools.
Our findings revealed that the above reason is attributable to recent upswing of clashes between and among secondary schools in the state.
For instance,at the African Church Grammar School(Afrograms), our findings revealed that the 43 teachers in both arms of the school are also made to impart knowledge and also keep at bay the 3,145 students from other external influences
The only saving grace for the 65 years old school is the various contributions of old students association , set clubs and individuals which have donated infrastructures in form of classrooms, IT buildings and library to replace the schools ageing infrastructures in order to maintain its high standard.
The latest of such is the new Library built and equipped by the 1973/78 club set at over N50 million in November 2018.
Beside lack of teachers facing the school,the few teachers around have to take one subject for the three arms of each class per day.
The same situation is experienced in most first and second generation schools all over Ogun state.

What happens is that,the teachers spent only 20 minutes per class instead of mandatory 40 minutes because of the need to go round the classes now split into three to maintain Covid-19 social distancing protocols.
Besides,the same set of inadequate teachers are employed to teach in the second stream in the afternoon between 12-3pm.
Sources however revealed that the state teaching service commission is making efforts to address the shortage of teachers and only waiting approval of state government in order to get more manpower to face acute shortage in the over 200 secondary schools in the state.
As for Afrograms,the collapsed second school fence which bordered both the African Church Primary School and African Church Cathedral made infiltration of the school from other elements outside possible.
One of such incidents reportedly happened Friday December 4th as students from neighbouring Gateway Secondary School had an open confrontation with students from African Church Grammar school who prevented the former from passing through the schools second gate near African Church Cathedral and this led to clashes as dangerous weapons were used.
The crisis snowballed and swept through the community as students from both schools sent for reinforcement for a matter that should have been resolved as teachers of both schools were busy attending to the second school session when the clashes occurred .
“With the dearth of enough teaching staff and need to enforce Covid-19 protocols,parents accuse us of not teaching their students especially those preparing for WAEC enough.
But how do we cope with three hours for each arm and session per day and still go round the students and cover the syllabus?” complained one of the principals who choose to remain anonymous.
When contacted,Principal of Afrograms,Pastor Tunji Elegbede,said since the school is noted for maintaining high standards,it has been doing its best to keep it afloat by not allowing miscreants to encroach the school premises and also devising ways of keeping the students busy and get prepared for their WASC exams.
He lamented the shortage of teachers especially the sciences adding that the COVID-19 protocols has further strained its capacity to deliver considering the teaching staff coupled with schools growing population as a school of first choice .
On the causes of the violent clash between and among the schools which sources revealed started Friday December 4,another account revealed that besides the issue of trespassing of African church grammar school premises by students of Gateway Secondary School, it was learnt, the later have been nursing rivalry against students of the former, for quite some time.
Another account stated that trouble started on Monday when the students were freely lighting up bangers and this sparked a row.

Students of both schools were sighted in the adjoining street leading to Ita-Eko welding dangerous weapons against each other, even as residents living nearby had to scamper for safety.

During the clash, one student whose identity is being withheld, had one of his ears nearly cut off. He was rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.

In another case,on Tuesday, some Okada riders operating within the vicinity of Government Technical and Vocational Centre,Isabo area invaded the college, following a misunderstanding with one of the teachers.

The Okada operators used dangerous weapons to inflict wounds on students and teachers, just as they reportedly broke ceilings, damaged classrooms chalk boards and uprooted the college’s sign play and eloped with it.

It was also learnt that the miscreants compelled four of the female tutors to go on their kneels before they eventually left.
In all occurrences, dangerous weapons such as axes, cutlasses, nails and such other improvised devices were freely used and leaving in its wake, some students sustaining injuries.
Principal of the college, Mrs F.A. Ajala was contacted for comments but she declined for reason of protocol as she said only officials of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, are competent to comment.

However, officials of the National Schools Crimes Prevention Corps(NSCPC), a nongovernmental organization, were sighted mediating in the matter.

The organization had promptly interfaced with top executives of Riders and Owners of Motorcycle Or can is stop (ROMO), whose representative, Hon. Olusola Adewusi, effectively helped to dissuade the okada riders.

Commandant of the NSCPC, Commander Folayinka Ige, disclosed that the issue of restiveness and violence has reached an alarming proportion.

Ige said the reality is that majority of secondary schools in the state are cult infested.

“We are actively on ground here in the state. Our interventions have helped managed issue of cult violence and other vices in the schools. The government duly recognized our role but we appeal to the government for funds and support so as to eradicate the menace completely”, Ige said.

It would be recalled that earlier in February, this year, a bloody cult clash involving Ilugun Secondary School and Baptist Boys High School engulfed Abeokuta.

The crux of the matter which led to the violent clash then was a bitter acrimony over who among a particular cultist has control over a girlfriend, who incidentally was an SS2 student of Ilugun High School.
Besides, in addition to all the identified remote causes of frequent clashes among secondary school students in Ogun state, a senior tutor in one of the secondary schools in the state who preferred to remain anonymous,attributed the incidence of violent clashes to readmission of students hitherto suspended from schools in the state for activities related to crime by higher authorities.
This he observed is due to pressures from higher quarters.
Said he,” when you readmit most of the students sent away due to bad activities,they become bad influence on the remaining students and what you have is an escalation of such bad behaviours among the teeming student population”.
He spoke on the need for education authorities in the state to provide more human and physical infrastructures and uphold strict ethical standards by supporting school authorities to maintain firm disciplinary codes and control in administration to save the education system.
By Tunde Abatan,AyoArowojodu
With Agency reports

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