By Ikugbadi Oluwasegun
The Federal Government has announced plans to develop a national policy to address bullying in schools as part of broader efforts to improve the Nation’s Educational System.

This was revealed by Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, Minister of Education during a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday.
The meeting with the Principals of Federal Unity Colleges by the Minister of Education Dr. Tunji Alausa, was an opportunity to engage with the school leaders and discuss key issues in education.
According to the Minister, the meeting focused on several key areas, including discipline, governance, and improving the quality of education.
He reiterated the government’s zero-tolerance stance on bullying, saying, and the administration of President Bola Tinubu has zero tolerance for bullying adding that, the Ministry, in collaboration with the Attorney General’s office, is working on developing a comprehensive national policy on bullying, which will be presented to the National Council of Education for adoption.
The Minister also pointed out that several existing laws, including the Safe Schools Act, are already in place to address bullying, and the new policy will build upon the legal frameworks.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice, who is also the Solicitor General of the Federation, Jeddy Agba, stated that some of the challenges being faced in this regard bother on lack of awareness on the understanding of the 2021 Anti-Bullying policies noting that many stakeholders, parents and Students are largely unaware of its existence.She faulted the enforcement of the law as there is no monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to ensure that schools comply with anti bullying policy saying this has led to lack of accountability at the School level.
The Minister and other stakeholders maintained that several existing laws, including the Safe Schools Act, are already in place to address bullying, and the new policy will build upon the legal frameworks.