Nearly half of the teachers were absent when Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima yesterday visited Lamisula Primary and Junior Secondary School in Maiduguri.
The school has 87 teachers, but after the governor took the roll call, 43 were absent. Seven were on leave.
Shettima visits schools to assess facilities, needs and supervise renovation.
He surprised the teachers when he instructed the Head of Service, Yakubu Bukar, who was in his convoy, to call the roll.
Despite efforts by the teachers, who called their colleagues on the phone to come to school, 38 of them, representing 44.6 per cent (approximately 45 per cent) were absent.
The governor ordered officials at the mechanical workshop to convey desks to the school, as pupils sat on the floor.
He said: “It is disturbing that in the heart of Maiduguri, our children are sitting on the floor to learn despite thousands of desks we have distributed. We have desks here that are bad and kept in one class. Nobody informed me of this. Children, who are desirous of learning, are sitting on the floor. The absentee-teachers will be punished to act as a deterrent to others.”
The Nation reports that Shettima spent nearly one hour at the school, inspecting 17 classrooms. He interacted with the pupils and gave them gifts before departing.