Rivers State Government has restated its commitment to the well being of school children through collaborating with development agencies to move society forward.
The State Commissioner of Education, Professor Kaniye Ebeku, who made this known during the inauguration of Risk Communication Club in schools, which held at St Andrews State Primary School, Mile 1, Diobu, Port Harcourt, organised by Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB) in conjunction with UNICEF, said the club was an avenue for students and teachers to relate, report any molestation and medical risk like coronavirus to the highest authority for rapid action
Ebeku described the state government’s partnership with United Nations Children’s Education Fund (UNICEF) as timely, since the initiative would build ambassadors among secondary school students who would in turn build the school children of the grassroots.
He charged the students and teachers to take responsibility of reporting any molestation and any other medical risk faced by them.
He commended the initiative and assured that it would get to all schools in the state.
Earlier in his address, the UNICEF Resource Person, Mr Mordecai Olowole, appealed to the Governor Nyesom Wike-led administration to scale up the Risk Communication Chub initiative in the 23 Local Government Areas of the State.
Mr Olowole made the call, in his presentation, The Risk Concept Manual with International Best Practices, to stake holders at the event.
He noted that UNICEF, with government alone could not do the job and appealed for support from other well-meaning organisations to build the capacity of children as Risk Communication Ambassadors, expressing the fear that threats emanating from COVID-19 pandemic were experienced in all Local Government Areas of the State.
The Director of Special Project, Universal Basic Education Board, UBEB, Flora Timon, said with the establishment of the club, importance of risk communication club on awareness would be given to other schools in the state to key in and advocated greater collaboration with the Church, Ministry of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation to pull children out from abusive homes into better places in order not to be sent to the villages to suffer more.
On his part, the focal person for the Risk Communication Club, and UNICEF Desk Officer, UBEB, Mr Tonjo Harry, who spoke on, Build Risk Communication Ambassadors, said the club was to empower the youngsters to report all molestations in any situation.
Harry, who is also a child protection specialist, said the primary focus of the club was to build the children to overcome all vices by building their self-esteem.
In a good will message, the National Vice Chairperson, National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Chief Lilian Okonkwo observed that before the Covid-19 pandemic, the challenge of rape and domestic violence affected the underaged in society but with the lock-down the children were with their abusers who threatened them not to speak up and expressed the hope that the training of the children would encourage them to speak out to make the world a better place for all.

By: Tonye Nria-Dappa & Theresa Frederick