Chrisland: Management’s statements riddled with denial, evasion, partial disclosure

As public outrage followed the latest minor sex scandal at Chrisland School, the school authorities have made an official statement.

Akin Fadeyi, a member of the School’s Advisory Board,  issued the statement on behalf of the management.

In the effort to clear itself, the school withheld details of disciplinary measure taken, denied testing the 10-year-old girl involved in the groupie for pregnancy, among other bits of information.

Of the 76 children who represented Chrisland at the World Sport that held in Dubai mid-March, Fadeyi disclosed that 71 “ensured an untainted adherence to the standards, abiding with laid down regulations and code of conduct”.

“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,” the statement read.

“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.

“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 instill 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. 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 senses of esteem of the children involved are uncompromisingly preserved.”

Fadeyi also denied that a pregnancy test was conducted on the minor involved in the act as claimed by the mother, explaining that it was a COVID post travel test.

The Lagos state government has shut down all the school branches as investigation progresses.