Ondo govt suspends 27 students over alleged indiscipline

By Dayo Johnson, Akure

AKURE — The Ondo State Government has suspended 27 students from three public secondary schools in Akure over alleged misconduct, warning that it would not tolerate acts capable of disrupting academic activities.

The affected students are from Oyemekun Grammar School, Aquinas College and CAC Grammar School.

They were placed on immediate and indefinite suspension by the state Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.

Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr. Akindele Ige, said the disciplinary action followed repeated cases of indiscipline despite several warnings and engagements with school authorities.

Ige, who visited the affected schools to enforce the suspension, said meetings had earlier been held with principals and stakeholders to address rising cases of misconduct, but some students continued to engage in unacceptable behaviour.

During separate meetings with principals, vice-principals and heads of departments, he urged school authorities to strengthen supervision, monitoring and enforcement of disciplinary measures.

The permanent secretary expressed concern over reported cases of bullying, fighting, truancy and the circulation of obscene videos on social media, saying such acts were affecting the learning environment and the image of the state’s education sector.

He said the ministry had adopted a zero-tolerance policy against activities capable of undermining discipline and academic excellence in public schools.

“Under the suspension, the affected students are barred from entering their schools or participating in any school-related activities pending the outcome of investigations by the schools’ disciplinary committees in conjunction with the ministry,” he said.

Ige appealed to parents and guardians to take greater interest in monitoring their children’s activities, noting that discipline requires collaboration between the home and the school.

He added that the ministry would continue routine inspections of public schools to ensure compliance with regulations, warning that students found culpable of bullying, fighting and other serious misconduct would face appropriate sanctions.