By Akinwale Kasali
Following the indefinite shutting down of Chrisland Schools by the Lagos State Government over allegations of rape involving some of the students, the Management of the School is fighting back.
The Management claims no student was raped and that the administration carried out no pregnancy test on any student who attended the World School Games in Dubai, United Arab Emirate (UAE).
In a statement issued by the School, Tuesday, April 19th, 2022, signed by a member of the School’s Advisory Board, Akin Fadeyi, on the issues emanating from the foreign trip which took place between 8 and 14 March 2022, the Management stated that aside from the controversial 10-year-old girl, four other students were allegedly involved in the sexual act as revealed from a video tape in circulation.
The School disclosed that like the 10-year-old girl who was suspended, the others were also handed various punishments to serve as a deterrent to others planning to engage in such actions during future excursions.
It further disclosed that 76 students represented the school at the games and that only five, including the 10-year-old girl, were discovered to have allegedly disregarded the school code of conduct during the trip.
According to the statement, “of the 76 children who represented Chrisland, 71 ensured an untainted adherence to our standards, abiding with laid down regulations and code of conduct, while doing us very proud in the process.
“We kept our girls on the 11th floor and boys on the 4th floor to draw clear lines that respect moral boundaries.
“We were, however, compelled to engage with the parents of the remaining students who unfortunately got themselves involved in misconduct, and in accordance with our code of conduct processes, which are well known to the parents, we meted out measured reprimands to them to instill a sense of discipline and as deterrence to others.
“This was also to caution our students on the need to remain on the path of resisting wrong influences.
“The disciplinary action was in order not to undermine our cohesive culture as a community of future leaders and committed instructors, but to be assertive in handing down the sort of discipline that seeks to correct and reform our children, when they stray from the path of rectitude.
“While we hasten to affirm that as an institution that is managing children from diverse backgrounds, we cannot lay claim to, or embark on any sense of self-righteousness in our approach, but we learn and evolve within the frames of best practices every single day.
“As such, as we recognise that there will always be space for improvement, we are therefore irrevocably committed to re-evaluating our processes to reinforce child protection protocols, even as we shall leave no stone unturned in ensuring that the senses of esteem of the children involved are uncompromisingly preserved.
We have activated child protection processes and shall be engaging the expertise of child psychologists to ensure we translate this incidence to benefit the children in our care.
“We are therefore not going to give room to sentiments that adopt less empathy in terms of the effects of the present situation on our children. We implore all of us as stakeholders to work together as build-up partners, rather than pull-down enablers. For every comment we make in this delicate period, we should remember that those involved are children and as such, they deserve our very responsible management of this situation in order not to affect their mental health, as we seek to clear this temporary fog in the path of their growth.
“This is why irrespective of currently charged emotions, we need to endeavor to keep our heads in focus, while carrying the authorities along in manners that leave nothing hidden, especially as we had nothing to hide,” the school stated.
“On the pregnancy test allegations raised by the mother of the girl involved in the act, the management stressed that it only conducted COVID-19 tests on the students when they returned from the said trip in accordance with laid down protocols by the Federal Government on the pandemic.
“We are proud to reassure our stakeholders that no rape of anyone or the administration of a pregnancy test on any child took place on our watch. For emphasis, only a COVID post-travel test was conducted on the returning delegation of our students, in compliance with COVID-19 travel protocols, at the Life Centre Medical Services on March 21, 2022 at School Hall, Opebi.
“This was through the nose swab test as consistent with COVID-19 health protocols. We trust that this can be verified at the source provided. To insinuate that a pregnancy test was carried out on a student, for whatever reason, therefore, is a highly unfortunate conjecture.
“Nevertheless, our processes would be readily opened up for the scrutiny of regulators and stakeholders at the earliest indication of this, to enable the course of scientific or forensic inspections. We are certain this will lay to rest any shred of doubt or hazy optic that the present flurry of activities might have occasioned”.
However, Damilola Oluwaseun Towobola, a Legal Practitioner, says that the statement from Chrisland School has no justification of any form because the school does not only posses educational responsibility but also moral responsibility for students.
He said, “The school had a duty of care when they had assumed the responsibility of the parent by virtue of the legal doctrine regarded as in loco parentis. The consent of the parents that enabled the children to embark on the journey to Dubai under the custody of the Chrisland placed huge responsibility on the school. So for such immoral act to have taken place, the School should be held responsible because this is act of negligence on their part”.
Explaining further the meaning of ‘In Loco Parentis’, Towobola said the term in loco parentis, is a Latin word for “in the place of a parent”, which refers to the legal responsibility of a person or organization to take on some of the functions and responsibilities of a parent.
Finding reveals that the term Originally derived from English common law, the doctrine is applied in two separate areas of the law. First, it grants educational institutions such as colleges and schools discretion to act in the best interests of their students, although not allowing what would be considered violations of the students’ civil liberties.[2] Second, this doctrine may allow a non-biological parent to exercise the legal rights and responsibilities of a biological parent if they have held themselves out as the parent.
The in loco parentis doctrine is distinct from the doctrine of parens patriae, the psychological parent doctrine, and adoption.
Caretakers and management of a boarding school have the duty of care in place of the parent.
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