The Ogun State Government has recalled two students of Abeokuta Girls’ Grammar Schools, Onikolobo, Abeokuta suspended for smoking shisha in uniform outside the school.
The state Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Abayomi Arigbagbu, disclosed this in a statement jointly signed by information officers of ministry of Education, Omoniyi Damilola and Ayoola Obadimu .
Arigbabu explained that the erring girls were allowed to return to classes after they had undergone a series of counselling.
The government had last year in December suspended the two students for smoking shisha in a video that went viral on the internet.
Arigbagbu noted that the learners were put under manual labour as a form of punishment in the school to serve as deterrent to others.
The commissioner posited that all the measures put in place would help to reduce minimal misdemeanor in schools.
Speaking on the measures to instil discipline, the government said it is planning to prevent any student without 70 per cent attendance from writing any form of examination in public schools.
Arigbabu said the move would help to curb absenteeism in schools.
He said, “Absenteeism of learners in schools is worrisome to us as government, this we believe is also part of the behavior that we frowned at. We have therefore ensured digitalisation of names of all learners, this will make it impossible for anyone that does not record 70 per cent attendance to sit for any examination.”
The Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Abosede Ogunleye, charged the learners to face their studies and shun acts that would undermine or destroy their future.
Ogunleye who said the erring learners have been rehabilitated accordingly, advised others to not stigmatize or abuse them.
She said “The learners have been counseled and made to undergo some punishment and I want to believe they have changed for the better. So I want to encourage you not to abuse, stigmatize or call them names. Instead advise them and be their friends.”
Responding, the Principal of the senior school, Tolulope Fasanya, appreciated the government for rehabilitating and re-integrating the girls back to school, promising that such an incident would not happen again in the school.
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