School-Based Conflict Mediation Programs in Ogun State: An Evaluation

This study evaluates the design and effectiveness of school-based conflict mediation programs in selected secondary schools in Ogun State, South West Nigeria. School-based conflicts involving students, teachers, and parents have become increasingly complex in Nigerian educational settings, with incidents of bullying, gang activity, and examination-related disputes posing challenges to learning environments. School-based mediation programs, championed by civil society and some state governments, offer structured peer and faculty-led conflict resolution pathways. Using a quasi-experimental evaluation design, the study collected pre- and post-program data from 240 students and 40 teachers across six secondary schools in Abeokuta South, Ijebu North, and Sagamu local government areas. The theoretical framework is grounded in restorative justice in education and Katz's social learning theory. Findings reveal that schools with trained peer mediators and faculty conflict coaches reported a 35 percent reduction in disciplinary referrals and improved classroom climate scores within one academic term of program implementation. Programs that received adequate administrative support and follow-up training showed significantly better outcomes than those implemented as one-off workshops. Recommendations include institutionalising peer mediation programs within the Ogun State Ministry of Education's school management guidelines, training school counsellors as conflict mediation facilitators, and establishing evaluation protocols to assess program fidelity annually. Keywords: school mediation, conflict programs, Ogun State, peer mediation, secondary schools.