The Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA) said it has developed an advanced online course to safeguard and protect minors from abuse.
During the ‘Online Course for Beginners’ on Monday, which was introduced in 2020 with over 13,000 participants, DSVA’s Executive Secretary, Mrs. Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi described the course as one of the ways the state was leveraging technology to ensure children’s safety in schools.
Represented by the agency’s Public Relations Officer, Joke Ladenegan Oginni, Vivour-Adeniyi noted that the new advanced online course was developed in partnership with the Office of Education Quality Assurance to enhance the tenets of child protection and safeguarding.
According to her, “a higher level of educational prospects is derivable with the second phase of the online modules. The online course comprises five modules, some of which include- understanding the rudiments of child protection and safeguarding, understanding the concept of child sexual abuse as a major phenomenon, identifying and preventing child abuse, safe steps for disciplinary measures reporting procedures for safeguarding, and child protection policy.
“This Child Safeguarding and Protection for professionals is specially curated for all teachers, guidance counselors, school social workers, and designated safeguarding and Child Protection Officers that work in Child-Centered Institutions, especially in schools.
“This online certified course would better educators and ensure utmost efficiency whilst dealing with safeguarding and child protection disclosures in their schools.
“At the end of the course, teachers would be required to undertake a test and upon a successful attempt, a certificate would be generated and forwarded via email”.
Director-General of the Office of Education Quality Assurance, Mrs. Abiola Seriki-Ayeni commended the initiative, adding that the state through education would ensure that continuous capacity building was made available for all and sundry.
She added that the ministry had been strengthening the quality control and regulation of public and private schools through monitoring and evaluation, noting that the training was part of its policy implementation to further equip professionals in the sector on globally acceptable best practices.
