Higher National Diploma (HND) 2 students of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ) on Wednesday, March 19, took child rights campaign to the examination hall.
The campaign was in line with the course MAC 400, titled ‘Child Rights Reporting,’ which the students have been taught in the 2024/2025 first semester academic session.
The specialised course taught by Mr. Akin Ojo allowed the finalists to convey their messages by wearing shirts of various colors branded with quotes related to children’s advocacy.
According to Mr. Ojo, everyone in the media industry—proprietors, professionals, the audience, and other end users of media products—must be involved in communications that aid children’s development.
In one of his lectures to the students, he explained that ” the media can draw an agenda of issues that will facilitate children’s growth, development, and survival in society and also raise the awareness and consciousness of society on the needs, predicaments, and fears of this vulnerable population.”
The activity occurred at the school premises after the students completed their exams. They came out in their numbers, took pictures, and sang songs centered around child development.
They highlighted the significance of child rights, raised awareness, and advocated for the rights of every child.
Reacting to the project, the president of the Student Representative Council (SRC), Ifeoluwa Opatola, remarked that the campaign was enlightening.
In the words of the SRC chairwoman, “I believe this campaign is an excellent initiative. Through our lecturer, we have gained valuable insights into child rights, and this awareness is positively influencing students. For many of us who previously knew little about children’s rights and the steps to take in protecting them, this campaign has been enlightening. It should definitely continue with every set.”
One of the students who participated, Feyisara Kareem, said the various inscriptions on students’ shirts is a bright idea for subtle advocacy.
“We are about 60 in our class, and we all had sixty different messages about the child’s development and how parents, guardians, and stakeholders can listen to the child even when the child is not speaking.
“The inscription on my shirt [“pedophiles should be castrated”] is personal to me and I’m glad when people read the inscription, they liked it. No one was against my inscription. It might look like a little awareness but we were able to educate people about the child and remind them about how the children shouldn’t be treated like an object,” she said.
However, some students were of the opinion that the activity should have involved more things beyond the wearing of shirts, singing, and taking of pictures.
One of the students who participated, Grace Akinyemi, said, “I think it’s nice but there was hardly any major activity to underscore the purpose. This may mean some people participated just with a focus on the mark score that will be rewarded. We should have created more content relating to the purpose of the campaign.”
Meanwhile, the lecturer highlighted that publishing the students’ activity and campaign on social media further increases awareness of child rights issues. Prior to the campaign, the students had also written news stories, columns, and articles on children-related issues that were published in the school’s annual newspaper, NIJTIMES.
Photo credits: Olaadura Adesunboye
