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Children’s Day: Sanwo-Olu tasks parents, others on proper mentorship

By Gbenga Salau and Debo Oladimeji
28 May 2022   |   2:47 am
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, yesterday stressed that the government, parents and guardians owe children a duty to ensure that their dreams and aspirations are realised through

[FILES] Sanwo-Olu/. Photo/facebook/jidesanwooluofficial

As Lagos Moves To Boost Safety In Schools With SSLAG

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, yesterday stressed that the government, parents and guardians owe children a duty to ensure that their dreams and aspirations are realised through continuous training, guidance and mentoring.

This was even as the state has launched the Safe Schools Lagos Project (SSLAG) to boost the safety of children in schools.

Speaking at the 2022 Children’s Days parade and rally, Sanwo-Olu implored parents and guardians to protect them from all harm by providing better childhood to give them a promising future.

Represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Mrs. Folasade Jaji, Sanwo-Olu said: “Therefore, I urge you parents/guardians to inculcate the right values in them which will enable them to shun all social vices. I pray that they will continue to be a source of joy to you all and our great state.

“It gives me great pleasure to felicitate with our promising children and future leaders of our great state and nation. The sight of children especially my amiable and promising pupils and students of Lagos State is always a source of joy to me. Today’s gathering remains a day dedicated to celebrating childhood and giving honour to all children who are the leaders of tomorrow.

“Every year, Children’s Day is celebrated with great enthusiasm worldwide. The theme for this year’s celebration, “A Better Future for Every Child” is quite apt as it highlights the principles of the convention on the rights of the child that all children irrespective of their status and present global situation should enjoy their rights to survival and development for a better future.”

The governor noted that currently, children were falling victims to many social vices like child abuse, rape, drug abuse, hard labour and violence.

“They are denied the opportunity to enjoy a healthy life, parents’ love and commitment and other childhood happiness. Children’s Day celebration gives us an opportunity to reflect and renew our commitment to building a society that will guarantee them a better future.

“However, the state is continuously embarking on a series of initiatives and intervention programmes in a bid to promote the Child Right Protection Law in line with the goal of the Universal Children’s Day to improve child welfare, promote and celebrate children’s rights and promote togetherness and awareness amongst all children,” he added.

The administration, in line with its THEMES agenda, recently inaugurated the Safe Schools Lagos (SSLAG) project.

The Lagos State Safety Commission (LSC) in collaboration with five other Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), namely, Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (Lagos SUBEB); the Ministry of Special Duties; Office of Education Quality Assurance (OEQA); the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Education, is driving the project.

The Lead Consultant for the project is SchoolRun Academy Ventures, which has developed the content while the Technology Partner is Telnet Nigeria Ltd.

The launch was closely followed by the knowledge transfer training event at the Lagoon School, Lekki about a month ago.

“SSLAG is the conceptual framework for safety in Lagos schools. It is a novel concept through which the Lagos State Safety Commission (LSC) aims to implement a proactive safety and security framework for schools and allied establishments in Lagos State. It covers facility access control, school transport management, staff background checks, and knowledge transfer to staff and education stakeholders amongst others. All these activities are coordinated through the SSLAG digital platform developed by Telnet, the technology partner,” the administration explained.

Speaking during the SSLAG training programme in Lagoon School, the CEO of SchoolRun Academy, Dr Bisi Esuruoso, revealed the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for attaining a satisfactory, good or excellent rating for schools under the SSLAG compliance drive.

The KPIs, she said, include schools being free from pests and no broken louvers, with safe recruitment checks conducted on all teachers and members of staff, among others.

“SSLAG is calling all of us to make sure that our children are safe. The 12 minimum standards must be met by all-day schools and an additional eight standards met by schools with boarding facilities,” she said.

She stated that schools must be made to understand safety issues. “When children are displaying certain behaviour, professional educators are supposed to be able to discern the signs and seek further help from other professionals as appropriate.

“Teachers are reminded that they must not bully children that are placed under their care. Instead teachers should understand how to boost the children’s confidence,” she added.

Lagoon School Lekki, Lagos has been named the first school to commence the compliance journey and may well be poised to attain the Beacon of Safety Status in Lagos State.

Esuruoso explained that a Beacon of Safety would only confer on a school if such a school has maintained excellent ratings in two consecutive audit exercises.

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