By Faizat Adeboye
143 school teachers were trained on cyber bullying and strategies to prevent the act by Access Bank and Xploit Consulting Company Limited on Monday in Abuja.
Director, Communication of Xploit Company, Mrs Grace Taiwo said that the training was meant to create awareness to both teachers and students on how to manage the internet.
Taiwo said that the training was organised by the two organizations and it was done for some selected schools in the FCT. She added that the teachers were from Bwari, Kuje and Gwagwalada local government councils.
In her words, “Cyber bullying is the act of using electronic internet to bully people by sending messages that are intimidating or threatening in nature.”
She explained that, cyber bullying involved using the internet to harm or frighten people, either through Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Whatsapp, among other platforms.
Taiwo added, “The aim of this training is to enlighten the teachers on the preventive measures they can use on internet through their handset, iPad, laptop and other devices. We are training the teachers so that they can also train the students and then take the training to their various homes.”
She said, “After training the teachers, they will be encouraged to train the students as well so that they (students) can train their other families and relatives around, to enable a retraining trend. In other countries, cyber bullying has made children go as far as dying by suicide and so, we decided to collaborate to create awareness through trainings in schools,’’
One of the facilitators of the training and Manager, Ayem and Bayts Consulting Limited, Mr Daniel Ojo said, one of the ways of exposing people to cyber bullying is when their accounts or passwords are not protected.
He advised people to always ensure that their accounts were not exposed to strangers.
Another facilitator, Principal Partner, Nobleherald Consulting Limited, Dr Inya Ode, emphasised on the need to be safe and responsible while using the internet, adding that such would help to avoid cyber bullying.
Ode also urged the trained teachers to ensure that they mentored the students on the risk of cyber bullying and measures to prevent such act.
Another facilitator, Mr Edward Enejoh, expressed worries over the damaging role that cyber bullying could play on the mental development of people.
Enejoh advised Nigerians to always be careful with how they exposed their accounts and passwords on the internet platforms.
Vice Principal, Academics, Capital Science School, Kuje, Mr Bunuyaminu Yeti, commended the two organisations for training the teachers over measures to prevent cyber bullying in the country.
Yeti, who spoke on behalf of the other teachers from the various schools, said that the teachers would ensure that the training was extended to other students.