The Federal Ministry of Education has announced stricter measures to address the rising cases of bullying and physical assaults among students in Unity Colleges across the country.
In a memo signed by the Permanent Secretary, Nasir Gwarzo, the ministry declared that students found guilty of physical assault causing bodily harm will face indefinite suspension.
The decision reflects the government’s resolve to tackle the growing menace of violence in schools.
The directive was prompted by an alarming rise in bullying incidents, with the ministry emphasizing that such behavior would no longer be tolerated.
The announcement follows a high-profile case on November 7, 2024, when the Federal Government suspended 13 students from the Federal Government College, Enugu, for six weeks.
The students, all in Senior Secondary School 1, were implicated in a viral video showing them assaulting a fellow student.
Education Minister, Dr. Tunji Alausa, ordered the suspension to facilitate a thorough investigation into the incident. This case underscores the increasing prevalence of bullying in both public and private schools nationwide.
To curb the rising trend of student-on-student violence, the ministry has introduced harsher penalties for offenders.
The memo stated, “The attention of the ministry has been drawn to the cruel and inhuman acts of physical assault that inflict bodily injury on other students by fellow students or groups of students.
“Henceforth, any student or group of students found culpable of physical assault leading to bodily injury on another student will be suspended indefinitely from the college.”
College administrators have been instructed to enforce these measures strictly and communicate the new policies to the Student-Based Management Committees and parents.
