LASG tightens oversight of Scouts, Red Cross in schools

The Lagos State Government has moved to strengthen oversight of voluntary uniform organisations operating in public schools, with the five approved bodies required to harmonise their annual activities and obtain ministry approval as part of efforts to improve discipline and students’ moral and leadership development.

The Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, Abisola Dokunmu-Adegbite, announced the measures on Thursday during an interactive session with team leads and representatives of the five organisations.

Under the proposed arrangement, each organisation is to prepare a harmonised annual calendar of activities for its Lagos State branch and submit it to the ministry for approval.

The ministry said the measure would eliminate separate requests from different chapters for individual activities and enable the government to maintain a coordinated overview of programmes throughout the academic year.

Dokunmu-Adegbite stressed that the organisations’ activities must be properly coordinated and aligned with the state’s educational objectives.

It was also agreed that the organisations would not use school premises for their activities, except for the Wednesday co-curricular activities approved by the state.

The Permanent Secretary said the measures were necessary as the government sought to restore discipline, integrity, good morals, academic performance and positive values among students.

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“We want all-round students,” she said, emphasising the need to revive “those virtues for which previous generations of young people were known.”

She said the voluntary uniform organisations could play a significant role in developing discipline, responsibility, patriotism, teamwork, leadership, integrity, peace and respect for constituted authority among young people.

Dokunmu-Adegbite consequently encouraged the organisations to explore alternative venues, including parks and gardens, for suitable outdoor activities rather than relying solely on school facilities.

She also called for deeper collaboration between the organisations and the state government, acknowledging that government could not accomplish every aspect of youth development alone.

A proposal on sustaining voluntary uniform organisations in Lagos was presented to the ministry, by the Team Lead of the Nigerian Red Cross Society, Lasisi Olakunle.

The proposal outlined measures for improving the sustainability, effectiveness and continued relevance of the organisations in public schools.

The five approved organisations are the Boy Scouts, Girl Guides, Nigerian Red Cross Society, Brigade and Sheriff Guards.