How Boys Marked Day of the Girls at Lagos School

Femi Ashekun/

An interactive session organized by a non-governmental organization for female students of a Lagos school, on Monday, witnessed an interesting twist as the male students trooped out to celebrate their female counterparts.

The interactive session was organized by the Family and Youth Support Initiative (FYSI) for female students of Idimu Junior High School, Idimu, in Idimu-Egbe local council development area of Lagos State, to mark the International Day of the Girl.

Some of the male students came out with placards celebrating their female counterparts and also took turns to speak about the unique qualities of the Girl Child and why she should be treated specially.

They later sang a popular song by a female gospel artiste, Sola Allyson, which showcased womenfolk as uniquely and perfectly created by God, and danced to the admiration of the students and the teachers.

The session, which was held at the school assembly ground, was facilitated by the Executive Director of FYSI, Mrs. Bukoladeremi Ladigbolu.

In line with the theme of this year’s International Day of the Girl — “Digital generation. Our generation” — the interactive session focused on the “mindful, beneficial and deliberate” use of digital technologies, especially social media.

Some of the topics Ladigbolu spoke on during the one-hour interactive session include, how female students can use social media mindfully and deliberately, rather than additively.

She also spoke to them on dealing with online abuse, as well as how they can take advantage of digital media to enhance their understanding of and improve their performance in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths).

The event also featured a question and answer session, during which the students were asked to write their questions on a piece of paper without including their names.

Branded writing materials, comprising exercise books and pens, were also distributed to the nearly 500 students who took part in the event.

The school’s management, led by the Principal, Mr Rahman Adeniran; his vice, Mrs Bosede Adediran; the counselor, Mrs Kikelomo Sanni; and other teachers witnessed the event.

FYSI’s mandates include protecting children and youths against sexual violence and other forms of abuse and promoting stable family environment for children to grow and flourish.