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From Scholastica Onyeka, Makurdi
The Benue State Child’s Right Implementation Committee (SCRIC), has called for the inclusion of counsellors on school timetable and to make funds available for them to work effectively.
This was part of the new action plans of the quarterly meeting of SRCIC hosted by the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development in Makurdi recently.
Director, State Ministry of Education, Mr Titus Aniho, who made the recommendation, which was unanimously adopted by SCRIC members said, if counsellors are made part of the schools by including them on the table, the students will no longer be afraid to interact with them.
According to him, the initiative will also enable the counsellors to interact with students so that they will not be dormant.
“We will call on the amendment of the school fees regime law and it will be amended and that will be inserted. Even if it’s N10 per child, they will have funds to work. Most schools have counsellors but they lack funds and they have no subhead that funds will be released to them”, the director said.
He recalled that at their previous engagements, the group had called on all schools in the state to employ counselors to enable children report cases of child rights violations.
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs Joy Adole, charged the committee to be dedicated and expedite its efforts towards achieving the desired result.
The permanent secretary who commended the efforts of Sexual Offences Awareness Response (SOAR) towards the child’s right protection assured that the ministry will intensify monitoring to accomplish the plans.
Also speaking, Assistant Director of Child Development, Mrs Eunice Tachia, hailed the commitment of SCRIC members to making positive impact on children.
Chairperson, Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria, (FoMWAN), Dr Maryam Yakubu, encouraged non-governmental organizations to register properly to be better informed so as to work effectively in issues affecting children.
Other contributors including Public Relations Officer of the women wing of Christian Association of Nigeria, (CAN), Dr Abigail Agile, representative of Benue State Child Protection Network, Mr Peter Utenger, Executive Director of SOAR, Chinyere Ewa, represented by the Project Assistant, MS Janet Ogoga, in their separate remarks called on the ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development to step up monitoring of orphanages not registered with their system to get them registered.
Janet Ogoga specifically tasked members to redouble their efforts for better impact on children.
Participants at the meeting were drawn from the Ministry of Youths and Sports, Ministry of Education, the Media, Parents Teachers Association, (PTA), NAPTIP, and the Nigeria Correctional Service.
