The management of Chrisland Schools, Lagos has said it did not conduct pregnancy tests on any of its students that attended the World School Games in Dubai, UAE, last month.
Rather, the management said it only conducted the COVID-19 tests on the students when they returned from the said trip in accordance with laid down protocols on the pandemic.
This was contained in a statement issued on Monday night by Mr Akin Fadeyi, a member of the Advisory Board of the school.
The school also said out of the 77 students who represented the school at the event, only six were involved in acts unbecoming of them.
The statement read, “We have followed up on reports making the rounds on certain developments bordering on the morals and ethics of some of the students under our care, who represented the school at the World School games, Dubai between 8 and 14 of March 2022.
“While we understand the emotions this has generated, we assure the public that our first approach as an institution was to assume parental roles by offering support to those involved and ensuring that nothing affected their senses of esteem.
“However, after a comprehensive evaluation of the situation, we cannot help but express how scandalised and distressed we feel as mothers, fathers and instructors with a relationship that holds a direct bearing on the development of those involved.
“Nonetheless, we took a critical view of the number of students who partook in this recent trip and who did the school proud in our quest to expand the horizons of our students holistically through global exposure, which takes into account a wholesome development of the mind, body and spirit through sporting engagements. Of the 76 children who represented Chrisland, 71 ensured adherence to our standards, abiding with laid down regulations and code of conduct, while doing us very proud in the process. Within these 71, we kept our girls on the 11th floor and Boys on the 4th floor to draw clear lines that respect moral boundaries.
“We were, however, compelled to engage with the parents of the remaining students who unfortunately got themselves involved in misconduct, and in accordance with our code of conduct processes, which are well known to the parents, we meted out measured reprimands to them to instil a sense of discipline and as deterrence to others. This was also to caution our students on the need to remain on the path of resisting wrong influences.
“The disciplinary action was in order not to undermine our cohesive culture as a community of future leaders and committed instructors, but to be assertive in handing down the sort of discipline that seeks to correct and reform our children, when they stray from the path of rectitude.
“While we hasten to affirm that as an institution that is managing children from diverse backgrounds, we cannot lay claim to, or embark on any sense of self-righteousness in our approach, but we learn and evolve within the frames of best practices every single day.
As such, as we recognise that there will always be space for improvement, we are therefore irrevocably committed to re-evaluating our processes to reinforce child protection protocols, even as we shall leave no stone unturned in ensuring that the sense of the esteem of the children involved are uncompromisingly preserved. We have activated child protection processes and shall be engaging the expertise of child psychologists to ensure we translate this incidence to benefit the children in our care.
“We are therefore not going to give room to sentiments that adopt less empathy in terms of the effects of the present situation on our children. We implore all of us as stakeholders to work together as build-up partners, rather than pull-down enablers.
For every comment we make in this delicate period, we should remember that those involved are children and as such, they deserve our very responsible management of this situation in order not to affect their mental health, as we seek to clear this temporary fog in the path of their growth. This is why irrespective of currently charged emotions, we need to endeavour to keep our heads in focus while carrying the authorities along in manners that leave nothing hidden, especially as we had nothing to hide.
“We are proud to reassure our stakeholders that no rape of anyone or the administration of a pregnancy test on any child took place on our watch. For emphasis, only a COVID post-travel test was conducted on the returning delegation of our students, in compliance with COVID-19 travel protocols, at the Life Centre Medical Services on March 21, 2022, at School Hall, Opebi.
This was through the nose swab test as consistent with COVID-19 health protocols. We trust that this can be verified at the source provided. To insinuate that a pregnancy test was carried out on a student, for whatever reason, therefore, is a highly unfortunate conjecture.
“Nevertheless, our processes would be readily opened up for the scrutiny of regulators and stakeholders at the earliest indication of this, to enable the course of scientific or forensic inspections. We are certain this will lay to rest any shred of doubt or hazy optic that the present flurry of activities might have occasioned.
“Finally, we assure parents and guardians that we take unequivocal cognisance of the duty of care entrusted to us and we would never betray this, as we are more than ever resolved to work harder at keeping and building the trust reposed in us. We refuse to indulge in or give credence to the sentimental contrivances seeking to fuel this crisis the more with various renditions that have taken over the social media space.
The only account we are obligated to render is how well the children entrusted in our care have been managed, as we have excelled in doing in the past 45 years of our existence as an educational institution, and to ensure that in this whole development, the only winners here shall be this child.”
Recall that the social media have been awash with comments about the alleged rape of one of the students by some of her male colleagues while in Dubai.
The Lagos State Government has shut down all campuses of the school and initiated a probe into the incident.
