The judgement of the Ikeja domestic violence and sexual offences court in which Adegboyega Adenekan, a school supervisor, was sentenced to 60 years imprisonment for child defilement for defiling a two-year and 11 month-old pupil, was long in coming but it is worth the wait.
With the judgement, the presiding judge, Sybil Nwaka, was yet again able to send a strong signal that our society should not have a place for paedophiles and other sexual perverts who take advantage of children in their care.
But for being a “wicked conscienceless person” as noted by the judge, why should a 47- year-old have any sexual relationship with any child?
Every day, we read heart-wrenching cases of defilement of children apart from many that are not reported. The damage done to the children is unimaginable and it’s necessary to step up measures to protect the victims.
A crucial aspect of the judgement which must not be missed out by school owners, parents and other members of the public is the advice offered by the judge on how to ensure safer school environments.
As Nwaka said, schools should not only be interested in economic gain but the welfare of pupils.
“Schools should not cover up teachers who sexually abuse children. Parents should not be carried away by aesthetics of schools. This case may just be the tip of the iceberg as a lot of our children are suffering in silence.
”Parents should be bold enough to confront teachers and school management because a lot of our children are suffering in silence. I advise or recommend that the education and social welfare ministry workers should visit schools randomly to give them a check.”
The commercialisation of education has indeed made many school proprietors to be more interested in economic gains than the welfare of pupils and students. Ideally, only those who have more than economic interests should be allowed to run schools to ensure that they are able to make personal sacrifice to augment whatever fees they charge.
There are basic facilities which must be provided in schools which for whatever reasons must not be missing to guarantee a conducive environment for learning.
In recruitment of teachers, schools should take extra measures to ascertain the background of those they entrust the children to. Although we do not have sex-offenders’ register, anyone who has any history of being a child abuser or has the tendency to be one, should not be employed just because they have the academic qualifications to teach.
The image of a school should not be more important than the welfare of the students and any teacher caught should not be spared. School authorities should not ignore any complaint and must provide opportunities for students to speak up without being penalised.
Every school should have child safety policies which teachers must abide with. No parent should agree to any private settlement if their child is abused. Offenders must face the full weight of the law to serve as a deterrent to others who are yet to be caught.
While facilities of schools matter, parents should also be concerned about the moral standard of teachers who teach their children. They should enquire about the experience of parents whose children have passed out of schools before enrolling their kids.
Education and social welfare ministry workers who have a role in supervising schools and ensuring standards should also ensure compliance instead of giving clearance to schools that are not suitable for children.
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