EKO NEWS
NGO Trains Over 250 Lagos Counsellors to Combat Bullying in Schools
- Mariecollette Kekong, founder of the NGO, emphasized the importance of eradicating bullying and creating a safe and supportive atmosphere for children to learn and grow.
- According to Kekong the School Anti-Bullying Force has addressed over 100 bullying incidents in both public and private schools across Lagos State
- Kekong noted that the foundation is exploring potential partnerships with the government to establish anti-bullying centers that would serve as safe havens for affected students.
In an effort to create safer learning environments for students, the School Anti-Bullying Force, a non-governmental organization, has provided training to more than 250 counsellors across the six educational districts of Lagos State.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the training took place at the University of Lagos, aimed to equip counsellors with the necessary skills and knowledge to effectively address bullying in schools.
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Mariecollette Kekong, founder of the NGO, emphasized the importance of eradicating bullying and creating a safe and supportive atmosphere for children to learn and grow.
“The programme is to add to the knowledge these counsellors have. It is to teach them to help children identify bullying, eradicate it, prevent it and stand up against it,” she said.
The NGO is also expanding its efforts to tackle bullying by establishing anti-bullying centers and School Anti-Bullying Force Clubs in schools across Lagos State.
The initiative aims to provide opportunities for students, including those who may have engaged in bullying, to become advocates for change and contribute to a supportive school environment.
“When children are in a house, if they observe that their mum is either hitting their dad or shouting at their dad, they pick up all these behaviours.
“Children don’t listen to what you tell them, but they look at what you do. So they learn from the way you act with people around you, your spouse, your mates, your relatives, and children.
“They learn these behaviours and do it to their peers, Sometimes, it might not be the parents doing it to people around them, it might be parents even bullying their children directly.
“You know when you bully somebody, sometimes the bullied person might become a bully himself or herself,” she said.
At the centres, she said counsellors would also be trained on effective listening to children.
“Most times, some of these counsellors only know the theoretical part of counselling. However, there is the part where the child needs the one-on-one conversation, where the child will feel heard. That is the skill that we are trying to equip these counsellors with.
“It’s to help school children feel safe to open up to the counsellors and report bullying, wherever it occurs. It is also to teach these counsellors how to listen to these children and help them navigate bullying in schools.”
According to Kekong the School Anti-Bullying Force has addressed over 100 bullying incidents in both public and private schools across Lagos State and has responded to every reported case, demonstrating its commitment to tackling bullying and providing support to affected students.
“We can treat those cases and we follow them through to the end. We ensure that we help rebuild the child’s confidence. We have also come up with an initiative called the ‘School Anti-Bullying Heroes,” she said.
Kekong noted that the foundation is exploring potential partnerships with the government to establish anti-bullying centers that would serve as safe havens for affected students.
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“I want governments to partner with us so that we can set up those anti-bullying centres across the state and nation.
She said she’s using its success in Lagos State as a model for expanding its anti-bullying initiatives nationwide.
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