The Lagos State Government has sealed a private school, Unic Vilos Montessori School, Maza Maza, over the flogging of a 2-year-old child, Cherish Ohamadike, by her teacher, Miss Joy Igile, who inflicted marks on her back.
This is coming at a time the state government is battling with public uproar and criticism that trailed the death of the Dowen College student, Sylvester Oromoni Jnr, who was alleged to have died as a result of the bullying and beating he got from fellow students.
According to a monitored report from Channels Television, this was made known by the Lagos State Commissioner for Education, Folashade Adefisayo, who said that the case is within the context of informal education because the victim is a toddler.
Adefisayo said that the Education Ministry ordered the shutdown of the school after confirming the story and discovering that it is located within an elementary school.
The commissioner also noted that the Unic Vilos Montessori School operates without approval, adding that the Lagos State Government is working to clamp down on such centres of learning.
The victim’s mother, Faustina Ohamadike, told Channels Television that she was initially weary of taking up the case. She, however, said when the perpetrator threatened her, she decided to share her daughter’s story online.
Cherish’s confirmed that a combined team of the Lagos State Ministry of Justice, the Domestic Violence and Response Unit, and the Ministry of Youths and Social Development, arrested the teacher and proprietress on Monday. While the proprietress was released earlier in the week, the teacher is still in detention.
What you should know
- This recent development adds to the growing cases of the maltreatment and bullying of school children both in Lagos and across the country, raising concerns about the criteria for teachers who take care of these kids and their exposure to danger within the school premises and outside.
- Recall that a few days ago, a proprietress and teacher in a nursery and primary school at Asaba, Delta State, was arrested by the police for reportedly flogging a 19-months-old child to death.
- The deceased was allegedly given 31 strokes of the cane by the suspect for playing with water and getting wet.
