Abuja school where girls are sexually harassed



Often times, stories of sexually harassment by male lecturers in universities find their ways into public domain. However, when the same is recorded in a secondary school, it becomes a thing of worry to caring parents. PAUL OKAH reports on one of such in an Abuja school.
It is no longer news that ladies are always victims of sexual abuse in Nigerian universities, with randy lecturers often giving female students hard times and sometimes even failing them in some courses if their sexual advances are rejected.

However, the ugly development becomes a thing of worry with reports emerging from Nigerian secondary schools, especially with parents pointing accusing fingers at Government Science and Technical College located at Off New Bussa close, Off Tafawa Balewa, Area 3, Garki, Abuja.


A worrisome dimension
A visit to the aforementioned secondary school managed by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) would reveal a school with high walls, a seemingly serene environment and students supposedly focusing on their studies.In fact, it has as its vision: To prepare students with the necessary skills, scientific/technical knowledge, positive character and values to fit into the society; while the mission statement is to serve as vehicle through which individuals access and acquire scientific/technical knowledge and employable skills and motto as ‘Self-Reliance’.Nevertheless, female students of this boarding secondary school are said to be endangered species, following allegations of sexual harassment from their male teachers and even fellow students, with many of the students now spending more time to worry about these marauding teachers even more than their students.


Parents lamentation

In a chat with Blueprint, a concerned parent, Mr Francis Joseph, said that his daughter, a girl in SS1 class, now finds it difficult to sleep at night in her hostel room following an attempt to rape her by one of the male students. He said, “My daughter has complained to me about being sexually harassed by her male teachers. It is a serious issue that the authorities need to look into. On several occasions, men have been caught trying to secretly gain access to the female hostels, perhaps for the purpose of rape, but nothing usually comes out of such incidents because the school principal always dismisses complaints of sexual harassment of female students by school teachers as flimsy.“Just the other day, a boy was caught in the night trying to grab a female student through the window. It was when the students raised the alarm and the boy was trying to run away that he was apprehended. However, the principal could not do anything about this. This raises question of whether the principal is interested in the welfare of the student. Sexual harassment is not something to be ignored, especially in a supposedly secure school like Government Science and Technical College.”Similarly, another parent, who preferred anonymity, said that her daughter informed her of always being harassed by a particular male teacher, with boys always climbing the girl’s hostel to demand for sex. “My daughter confided in me that she no longer sleeps well at night because of the incidences of boys coming to female hostels to harass them for sex. It is a common knowledge even to security men in the school and the students themselves. “If not male students demanding for sex from girls, it would be male teachers involved in sex for marks with the girls. It is not the right way for a school to be run, so the FCTA should look into the allegations before something untoward happens. We cannot be sending our children to school for them to be harassed by men without the authorities doing anything about it.”Also speaking with Blueprint, a female student of the school, who did not want her name in print, confirmed allegations of sexual harassment from students and teachers, claiming that she was a victim.“Yes, it happens in this school. The hostel for girls is far from that of boys, but that does not stop them from making advances at us, especially at night. In fact, one particular night, I felt hands trying to grab me from the window and I had to scream and free myself. “Of course, I had to move my bed away from the windows to the middle of the room. Apart from that, there are always teachers making advances at students. Some actually threaten to fail you in their subjects and it is bad for some of us. Only God can save us in this school. I can’t wait to pass out of the school and be free from the nonsense going around here.”

Principal denies allegations

However, when Blueprint visited the school on Thursday, February 18, the principal, Mr James Kutawho, denied the allegations of sexual harassment of female students by students and male teachers in the most hostile term he could think of. While demanding for the identity of the complaining parents to be revealed, Kutawho used uncouth language in addressing the subject matter, including calling this reporter unprintable names.He said, “There is nothing like insecurity in this school. I am particularly unhappy that parents would rather like to confide in journalists than teachers and my humble self as the principal. If any parent claims that there is a case of sexual molestation of students, why didn’t they come forward to report to me for necessary action? That tells you that there is nothing of such.“Also, we hold PTA meetings with teachers and parents and I have not heard it reported by any parent that his or her ward was harassed by either a teacher or student. Therefore, I don’t know what such parents want to achieve by going to talk to press.“Also, if there is anything like security lapse or breach, the FCTA authorities are in the right position to act. As long as I am considered, the school is secure. I can only tell such parents to stop formenting trouble. If there is any negative development, they should rather confide in school authorities than in journalists. I take personally exception to that. “Let them manage their children at home. I did not ask anybody to bring the child to school. If you bring your child here, it is our responsibility to discipline the child and that’s what we are doing. So, let the system work the way it should work. Or are you going to provide solution to the question of insecurity you are talking about? I am asking you!“We have a PTA platform. We used to hold PTA meetings, it is only this COVID-19 that has not allowed us to hold them. So, I don’t like when parents cause trouble using journalists. Any parent that says his or her child is being molested, bring the parent here so that he can complain before me. “If I have any challenge, I can take it to the authorities. If a student is kneeling down, somebody will go and complain that we are punishing the student. Are you saying that we should not punish anyone? Is that what you mean? Should we allow them to misbehave and corrupt others?“All of us went through punishment in schools as students. So, people should be encouraged and not criticized. We know the kind of human beings we have here. We know the students here and what they can get up to if not monitored. School is now a target of getting news. There is no professionalism in coming here to ask me about sexual harassment in this school. You should not allow parents to use you to cause trouble. Are you a security man? A parent said this or that and you came here to verify. Give me the number of the parent then to talk to. I talk to my students more than their parents. If my students were here, I wouldn’t be speaking with you. I pay attention to my students more than anything else. So, how can people sit them and create problems?” he fumed.

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