The National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) has urged Harrison Gwamnishu.
Chairman of the association in Oshimili south local government area of Delta state, Mr Samson Ekene, disclosed that the video has negatively impacted in primary and secondary schools particularly private schools in the area.
Briefing journalists in Asaba, Mr. Ekene, who was flanked by the Vice Chairman, Elder Ogan Ibe, Secretary, Mrs Zainab Ntauko, five other executive members lamented the negative effect of the trending cultism video on the educational system in the state in the bad light.
According to him, the challenge resulted from video has set parents, guardians and the school at each other’s throats wondering why an activist would storm a learning environment to cause mayhem.
He called for greater collaboration between all stakeholders to fashion out more innovative ways of ensuring smooth running of the school, adding that they have secured permit from the ministry of education not to allow strangers into their school premises henceforth.
“He invade one of our schools in Asaba covering the pupils and students in that school without the permission of Basic and Secondary Education.
“And after covering them, without going back to the ministry who is in charge of issues in Delta State, uploaded this information on social media.
“I want to let you know that, that information caused a serious uproar and commotions in our schools in Oshimili south
“This man called Harrison, came inside the school, covering the children and claiming that there was a mark found at the back hand side of the children, that it is a mark of initiation into cultism.
“The information was investigated and found to be baseless and false. We the leadership of private schools in Oshimili south where the incident occured, is taking this opportunity to debunk the information by one Mr. Harrison.
“We are saying that the snake bite saga, has no relationship of initiation of pupils and students in public and private schools. The ministry has inspectorate department that visits schools, correct the anomalies in school and takes reports to the appropriate quarters.
“The visit of Harrison to our school, brought a lot of damages. I can tell you categorically that we have it on reports that as the result of the video online, parents stormed schools disturbing the schools and trying to withdraw their children because they believed that initiation process is ongoing in schools.
“We got a report of another parent who stormed the house of another parent to fight that parent as a result of that trending video”.
According to him, parents stormed the school in question, demanded that the proprietor open the gate for them to take their children but the proprietor said the situation in the school was calm.
The parents picked iron and stones, broke the school gate as a result of the video and students started scaling the fence while thete was heavy stampede.
“In our various schools in Asaba, we also recorded similar situation. We want to use this opportunity to make it clear to parents in Oshimili south that the so-called snake bite mark has nothing to do with initiation process.
NAPPS condemned the information in its entirety, calling on parents to disregard it completely and deal with it as false, “please, take your children back to school”, he pleaded.
He recalled his days in primary and secondary school where students use cashew nut and chew gun cartoon to engrave marks on their skin, “children play with the things around them”, reiterating that the so-called”snake bite”, was done with paper, calling on parents to ignore the false information.
He equally said private school should not be seen as “money making factory”, a disturbing situation where people come to extort money and disturb the school environment to desist from it henceforth.
“NAPPS as an organization of private schools, will no longer tolerate any visit in schools without the permission of the ministry of Basic and Secondary Education.
“We are law abiding citizens. We teach morals in schools but nobody should take our quietness for a ride. I hereby call on Mr. Harrison, to immediately withdraw that information from the social media”, he appealed.
It would be recall that the immediate past Commissioner for Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu, and Commissioner of Police in the state, Abbas Wale, said it was a false alarm and condemned the misrepresentation.
