By Rowland Ike, Abakaliki
The Ebonyi state government in collaboration with relevant partner agencies has commenced awareness creation on harmonised code of conduct for primary and secondary schools.
The awareness campaign is in collaboration with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and the Society for Family Health.
The state Commissioner for Education, Dr Sunday Nwangele said during a workshop for relevant stakeholders in Abakaliki that the awareness was apt in effecting discipline in schools.
“We are officially presenting a document called proposed code of conduct for schools in the state.
“This entails right attitudes, adopted mode of discipline, coordination and modesty expected in public, private and faith-based schools in both primary and secondary categories.
“It also entails appropriate behaviours expected of teachers, school managements and parents.
“This is aimed at improving morality, orderliness and high discipline rate in schools as obtained in the olden days,”.
The commissioner noted that the code of conduct corresponds with the ministry’s mandate on enshrining orderliness in schools’ academic activities.
“”We used to have situations where schools close and re-open for academic sessions when they want but we presently have a unified academic calendar.
“We have ensured that pupils and students are not influenced by trending negative tendencies such as using mobile phones in schools, chewing gums while talking to elders among others.
“We solicit that this document be passed as a law in the national assembly to protect teachers from assaults of parents among other provisions,”
The Programme Officer of the UNESCO (03) project, Peace Ikani said that the code of conduct aims at harmonising school rules and regulations.
“The harmonised rules should stipulate issues of gender-based violence and should not condone any form of corporal punishment.
“A draft document has been prepared by the federal ministry of education but we want states to edit and domesticate,”
She noted that UNESCO will support the society for family health to print copies of the regulations and send to states for onward distribution to schools.
“Schools should in turn ensure that pupils and students receive copies to be assimilated and be used in schools,”
Mr Brendan Oli, a Participant at the training commended the organisers and canvassed for the implementation of the policy in schools.