The Ogun State Government has sent a second delegation to commiserate with the family of Monday Arijo, a pupil who lost his life after allegedly facing corporal punishment from a teacher at Obada Grammar School in Idi-Emi, Imeko/Afon Local Government Area.
Led by Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, the delegation assured the family of the government’s commitment to ensuring such incidents never happen again. Arigbabu emphasized that the state government has established a committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.
“The state government has set up a committee to look into the root cause and all other circumstances surrounding what has happened… There are regulations against corporal punishment. That does not mean children will not behave well; we can actually discipline children. We can raise them to become whatever they want to be in life without resorting to corporal punishment,” Arigbabu stated.
*Government’s Response*
– The state government has handed out suspensions to the teachers and principals involved.
– A post-mortem is being conducted by the Federal Medical Centre to determine the cause of death.
– The government will continue to monitor and hand out sanctions to teachers found culpable of administering corporal punishment.
Arigbabu urged teachers to display maturity and professionalism, noting that alternative methods of discipline are available. “As trained teachers, there are a number of ways to instil discipline. We are not saying there should be indiscipline in schools; what we are saying is that there are other ways through which you can discipline a child.”
The Special Adviser on Education to the Ogun State Governor, Ronke Soyombo, reassured the family of the government’s support during and after the mourning period, pledging to prevent similar incidents in the future. The family, represented by Abdullateef Oduntan, expressed their expectation that the government will take concrete steps to prevent future occurrences.
