King Solomon Secondary school refutes alleged student abuse
King Solomon Secondary School, Uyo has refuted reports on the social media alleging abuse of a student of the school
This is contained in a press statement signed by the principal of the school, Obong Ubong Akpan on 11th January 2022 and sighted by Morenews
The school which restated their stance on zero tolerance for indiscipline noted that the said Student came to school on Monday, 10th January 2022 with wrong uniform and was punished by the teacher on duty and also sent back home according to the school rules and regulations.
The release reads in full:
RE: THE SORDID COLD-BLOODED ABUSE OF THE GIRL-CHILD IN KING-SOLOMON SECONDARY SCHOOL
OUR STATEMENT:
Sequel to a trending story in the media space originated by a certain Celestine Mel, alleging the abuse of a female student by our staff and given the necessity to give valid clarification on the disturbing sides of the news, we wish to inform concerned individuals and the public that:
1. King Solomon Secondary School, a section of King Solomon International Schools, is founded on high moral standard with zero tolerance for indiscipline. Consequently , our school upholds fundamental human rights with particular concern for the right of every child in our care. Testimonies from parents and guardians abound to this effect.
2. On Monday, January 10, 2022, the resumption day of second term for the 2021/22 session, a female student in SS3 was spotted coming to school with inappropriate dress, a skirt with edge above the knees. One of our staff, Mrs Ndifreke Etim who is a member of the Management Board accosted her on grounds of the wrong dressing, but the said girl rebuffed, muttering offensive words to the staff; a behaviour that prompted the use of cane on her.
3. It is noteworthy that while the parents of the girl were not pleased with the incident, the school management was already on hand to address the matter almost immediately, only for the issue to be overblown and taken to social media.
4. While it is obvious that the version of the story circulated by Mr Mel is an exaggeration of the true state of things, we acknowledge the established grievances of girl’s parents who have remained reliable stakeholders in our school and have taken steps to resolve the issue amicably.
5. It should also be known that our school has never condoned child abuse of any kind, or harboured abusers. Our staff are well cultured and our students are bred in line with accepted standards of school administration. The staff in question is one of our best and does not deserve the unpleasant tags on her personality.
6. Parents and the public should disregard any publication seeking to discredit our school as it is our continued vision to raise responsible individuals in the society, give value to education system as well as relentlessly advocate the right of every child.
God bless King Solomon Secondary School
– Signed:
Obong Ubong Akpan,
Principal, King Solomon Secondary School,
Uyo
11/01/2022
