The
discovery of ‘couples’ among the students of Sa’adu Zungur Model School in
Bauchi came as a shock to many. An old, reputable primary school, it was named
after the famous Bauchi-born political activist and writer, Malam Sa’adu
Zungur. It has produced prominent individuals that have excelled in various
fields.
It was renovated by the immediate-past governor, Malam Isa Yuguda. Part
of the school was temporarily occupied by the Department of Management Science
of Bauchi State university Gadau before they relocated to their Bauchi
permanent site. It was later structured to accommodate a Co-Educational
Secondary School of Boys and Girls.
According
to reports, some senior students, male and female, were said to have been
conducting illegally arranged ‘mock marriages’ among themselves within the school,
wherein male students would pay a certain amount of money, allegedly as low as
N500, as dowry.
Classmates
of the ‘grooms and brides’ also allegedly contribute money to purchase snacks
for the ceremonies. Sources in the school revealed that although male and
female students study in separate classes, the attention of the teachers was
drawn to the ‘mock marriages’ only about a week ago. According to the sources,
an SS2 student whose name was withheld organised a ‘wedding ceremony’ between
him and his ‘wife’ who was also a senior student. Teachers’ attention was drawn
when they heard the noise from the celebrations. They rushed to the venue and
found out what was happening.
The
matter was promptly reported to the school’s principal, Malam Ahmed Zailani who
later informed the state Ministry of Education, leading to the instant closure
of both the primary and secondary sections of the school.
When
Daily Trust visited on Monday, some SS3 students were hanging around the school
to enquire about their fate, as they were about to start writing exams.
However, when asked about the issue, some of them denied the allegations
against their colleagues.
“It’s
all lies. The thing happened on Valentine’s Day when the boy was teased that
the girl is his wife. They don’t even talk to each other, talk less of being
husband and wife,” one of the students said.
However,
a female SS2 student who spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed that there
were indeed two ‘mock marriages’ in SS2A, and another class. The girl who is
said to be in the same class and close to one of the ‘brides’ also confirmed
that the ‘bride’ had indeed bought and shared candy to celebrate.
“When
it was discovered, all the students in the two classes were punished by the
school authorities. The first day we were punished, the two couples in the two
classes were all present, but on the second day, the ‘bride’ in the other class
was absent,” she said.
Parents
vowed to take necessary action and provide the needed support.
Chairman
of School Basic Management Committee (SBMC) of the school, Alhaji Muntari
Abubakar, said there was a meeting with the members of the committee set up by
the government and the school authorities and have presented their
recommendations which was incorporated into its report. He accused some
mischief-makers of blowing the issue out of proportion, which led to
speculation.
“Yes,
there was a ‘mock marriage’ by the students, which is just like all childhood
drama where a boy or a girl can claim to be what he is not. A boy while playing
may claim to be a king or an emir, but he is not. How can somebody claim to
marry while there are steps? There must be involvement of the families of both
parties as stipulated in Islam,” he said.
He
however informed that they were worried because as parents, they don’t want
their children to adopt a behaviour that is against the teachings of Islam and
morals of their society. He therefore called on parents to avoid interfering in
the administration of disciplinary measures on their wards in schools.
Findings
by Daily Trust revealed that most of the students admitted in the school were
transferred from private schools because their parents can no longer afford
tuition due to economic challenges.
According
to residents, the school was reputable and it’s students were well-behaved,
until recently. “Some of them even hold hands openly and the girls will remove
the school Hijab, bring out a long one to cover the school uniform and walk
away with one of the boys on his bike or Keke NAPEP to God-knows-where. The
teachers have been delaying the closing interval between the boys and the girls
by about thirty minutes so that the boys will close when the girls would have
dispersed, but some of the girls still hang around and wait for their male
colleagues,” he said.
Following
the discovery of the alleged mock marriages by some of the students, the
state’s deputy governor and the commissioner of education, Engineer Nuhu Gidado
ordered the immediate closure of the school. In a statement, he described the
development as unfortunate and attributed it to growing moral decadence. He
also set up a committee comprising of all directors in the state ministry of
education, the school authority, teachers as well as the Parents and Teachers
Association (PTA) of the school, mandated to investigate the matter and come up
with a detailed report.
Findings
by Daily Trust showed that the committee had already held its maiden meeting
with relevant stakeholders and the school management, though details are
currently unavailable. School authorities also refused to comment when
approached. The so-called couples also remain unidentified. Efforts to meet one
of the female students, said to be very close to the ‘bride’, failed as she was
said to have travelled out of town.
As
it is now, the alleged scandal in Sa’adu Zungur might have opened a can of
worms on what has been happening in public schools in the state. The school was
later ordered to be reopened and normal activities resumed by Engineer Gidado,
in a statement issued Wednesday.
The
report in part read: “After formally receiving the report of the committee set
up to investigate the alleged immoral behaviour in Sa’adu Zungur Model Primary
and Secondary School, Bauchi today, the Deputy Governor of Bauchi State, Nuhu
Gidado, has directed for the school to reopen and normal academic activities to
resume by tomorrow, Thursday, 16th March, 2017. The findings and
recommendations in the committee’s report are currently being studied with a
view to arriving at firm decisions and, thereon, applying same appropriately.
All stakeholders will be advised accordingly in the next few days.”
The
school authorities declined comment, and when Daily Trust visited the school
after the re-opening, students trooping in wore sombre looks. When approached
for comment on the re-opening of the school, they kept mute. Until a final
decision is taken on the issue, all involved will be waiting with bated breath.
Meanwhile, what is clear is that the atmosphere currently is not festive, and
certainly not that of a honeymoon.
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