The Lagos State Ministry of Education has directed the management of Dowen College, Lekki, to correct identified lapses in the school’s administration as discovered during the ministry’s inspection and comprehensive investigation following the death of a student, Sylvester Oromoni.
This was contained in a statement issued by Assistant Director, Public Affairs in the ministry, Ganiu Lawal, in reaction to the advice of the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) to the police that Oromoni’s death could not be linked to alleged bullying.
The Commissioner for Education in the state, Mrs Folasade Adefisayo, while clarifying the fate of Dowen College students in view of the resumption of schools for the second term in Lagos State, said the Ministry of Education was reviewing the operational guidelines of boarding schools and the requirement for establishing a boarding school in Lagos State.
She hinted that the ministry would begin the revalidation of all existing boarding school facilities after the mid-term holidays.
The statement also quoted the commissioner as saying that the ministry’s departments and agencies responsible for monitoring and inspection of schools were being overhauled to improve efficiency.
In the statement, the commissioner said Dowen College management had been mandated to fix school governance gaps and other regulatory issues.
“We will consider the possibility of reopening the school only when all issues surrounding school administration have been appropriately attended to,’’ Mrs. Adefisayo said.
