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ASCSN wants government to regulate operations of alumni groups

By Ujunwa Atueyi
14 April 2016   |   1:23 am
As parents, students and concerned stakeholders await the outcome of the ministerial panel of inquiry investigating the alleged sexual molestation of a Junior Secondary School (JSS) II student of Queens College, (QC) Yaba...

EDUCATION-text

As parents, students and concerned stakeholders await the outcome of the ministerial panel of inquiry investigating the alleged sexual molestation of a Junior Secondary School (JSS) II student of Queens College, (QC) Yaba, Lagos, by a biology teacher, Mr. Olaseni Oshifala, Chairman, Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), QC Chapter, Comrade Oladejo Sarafadeen Abiodun, has urged government to look into the activities of old students particularly in the unity colleges.

Presenting the findings of the committee set up by the body to probe the allegation, Abiodun asserted that the activities of the Queens College Old Girls Association (QCOGA), since the news broke showed that they had a hidden agenda.

He, therefore, called on the Federal Ministry of Education (FME) to establish a policy that would regulate the operations of alumni associations in the interest of the students.

He said, “We want the FME to come up with policy documents on the operation of old student associations in all federal government colleges. It has been established to a great extent the involvement of QCOGA in the current challenges facing the college. We think some old girls are using QCOGA as a platform to get back at members of staff who might have punished them for wrong doing when they were in school.

“Many of them have also been posting offensive and damaging comments on social media, which are capable of tarnishing the image of the college. The scenario painted by the faceless petitioner in the social media against Oshifala and the management of QC never took place. It is a calculated attempt to damage the good image of the college, its management and the entire staff. We have not defended the accused person(s), rather we have presented the facts as available to us after a thorough investigation.”

He further stated that the college had since put measures in place to guard against sexual molestation in the college, noting that the measures can be replicated in other unity colleges.

Listing some of the measures, he said, “Male guardians are not allowed for the girls; all the male teachers were brought out from cubicle offices and the stay in an open staff room; the hostel area is walled off with a gate and no male staff lives there; even female staff are not allowed to live in the hostel areas with their husbands and grown up sons.

“Teachers on duty always ensure that all the girls cross over to the hostel area after night prep and the matrons take over from there; roll call of students is taken by matrons and house mistresses; female security officers patrol the hostel area during the day and at night; students have complaint /suggestion box where they are allowed to submit complaints without revealing their identities.”

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