Safety: Lagos to initiate measures to curb accidents in schools

Lagos State government on Monday said that it will initiate proactive measures to curb bullying and auto accidents in both the public and private schools across the state.

The state also promised to increase awareness towards infusing and inculcating safety culture and compliance among students.

The declaration was made at a Safety Initiative Workshop, organised by the Lagos Safety Commission, Office of Education Quality Assurance in collaboration with School Run Academy with the theme; ‘Creating A Safety Culture and Compliance’.

Commissioner for Education, Mrs Folashade Adefisayo said that the move by the government is to prevent such incident that claimed the lives of three students and injured about 17 others at Babs Fafunwa Millennium School, Ojodu last year.

The commissioner, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mr. Abayomi Abolaji said that government has started identifying schools on major roads that are prone to auto crash and would ensure the needful is done to prevent reoccurrence of such incident.

The commissioner noted that schools on the highways would have breakers and traffic lights while officers like Neighborhood Watchers, Federal Road Safety Corps, Lagos Safety Commission would be engaged to provide safety mechanism.

Director General, Lagos Safety Commission, Mr Lanre Mojola explained that the whole essence of the Safe School Initiative was to ensure that schools environment across the state is safe while students are made to cohabit in a condusive learning atmosphere.

Mojola stressed that safety measures are very important in order to ensure physical safety, disease control, discouraged bullying and alcohol abuse, as well as training school owners on how to ensure schools are safer.

“Safer schools produce safer children and safer children are the bedrock of the future. So what we shall be doing is to meet school operators and engage them on how we can make safety the fulcrum of the curriculum within the schools.

“How we can ensure that teachers teach basic principles of safety and to ensure children interact at safety environment.?

“Safety begins with you and zero accident is possible if we all work together and in a safe environment,” he said.

He added that the workshop centered on owners of boarding schools in Lagos State, noting that the Commission would soon extend similar exercise to other stakeholders.

Others at the event emphasised on high quality standard, quality parenting and community involvement for safety to be achieved.

They also suggested a systemic approach to manage safety in schools and colleges as well as ensuring total compliance as people should see safety as part of daily lives.