By Ikugbadi Oluwasegun
The government of Niger has planned to take action against teachers whose students use inappropriate language during debates.
In a recent viral video of AbdulKabir AbdulKadir, a student from Kasim Primary School in Agaie expressed a wish for divine intervention to hold accountable leaders responsible for the hardships faced by Nigerians.
The student who voiced opposition to compulsory voting in Nigeria expressed concern that the citizens’ votes have lost significance as a result of the nation’s corrupt legal system, electoral officers, and the use of coercion by security forces to manipulate elections in favor of the ruling parties.
According to Jibrin Usman-Kodo, the ministry’s spokesman, the mentioned behaviour is not only deemed unacceptable but also disregards the important values of respect and decency.
The statement read: “The Niger State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education has expressed deep concern over the recent incident involving the use of vulgar and violent language in a school debate by a pupil.
“The reaction of the ministry is rooted in a video circulating on social media, showing a primary school pupil using inappropriate language during a debate competition in one of the schools in Niger State.
“The ministry observed with dismay the disturbing content of the video, where it was evident that the student had been coached to use violence and vulgar language in his presentation
“Such behaviour is not only unacceptable by the Ministry but also goes against the values of respect and decorum that should be upheld in educational settings.
“The Ministry, under the leadership of Dr. Hadiza Asabe Mohammed, Hon. Commissioner emphasised the importance of promoting a positive and respectful learning environment for students and pupils at their formative age, the use of vulgar and violent languages not only reflects poor orientation for the individual pupil but also on the school and the educational system as a whole.
“In view of the foregoing, the Commissioner, has vowed to investigate the incident further and take appropriate disciplinary action against those responsible for coaching the student to use such language.”