•Oshiomhole sacks 30 teachers for late coming.
A simple plea by a Senior Secondary School pupil, Amarachi Uchendu, to Governor Adams Oshiomhole to prevail on teachers to be regular in classes, especially at the Junior Secondary School level, has led to the sack of teachers in Edo State.
It also uncovered a high level of indiscipline among teachers and students, negligence of duty and high absenteeism rate among teachers.
After Oshiomhole landed his sledge hammer, more than 30 teachers in primary and secondary schools across the state were sacked, others are to forfeit half of their salary. Also, 41 Zonal Inspectors and Chief Inspectors of Education including Local Government Education officers were sent packing. The Vice-Principal of New Era College, Mr S.E Akhabue, was demoted from Grade Level 15 to 14 for being a perpetual late-comer.
Trouble started for the teachers two weeks ago when Oshiomhole visited New Era College along Upper Mission to inspect the on-going construction of ultra-modern classroom blocks. The school had closed for the day and the pupils thronged out to see the governor.
In the course of his interaction with them, Oshiomhole asked if they were happy. Amarachi, a sickle cell patient, raised her hands and pleaded with the governor to provide more chairs in the renovated classroom blocks.
She told the governor to prevail on their teachers to be regular in classes, especially in Junior Secondary Schools, because their absence was affecting pupils academically.
Two weeks later, Oshiomhole paid a surprise visit to some primary and secondary schools in Benin City, including Western Boys High School, Asoro Primary School, George Idah Primary School and Esomerie Primary School.
He discovered that the Principal, Vice-Principal and seven teachers were absent at Western Boys High School. He immediately announced their dismissal from service to pave way for others willing to work.
Besides, Oshiomhole queried some teachers for not being properly dressed to work and his check through the attendance register showed some teachers came late to school.
At Asoro Primary School, 17 of 24 teachers were present. However, two teachers whose names were in the register were not present in school. A probe by Oshiomhole revealed that the names were written by the Assistant Head teacher of the school, Comfort Ogbeide.
The Head Teacher of the school, Best Ehiman, was immediately queried for arbitrary absence from duty post and presence of fictitious names on the attendance register.
Oshiomhole was further shocked during interaction with pupils of primary three when they could not pronounce the name of their class teacher.
During his continued inspection of schools in Edo North, he frowned at pupils coming to school in mufti. He, however, gave some money to buy uniforms and one week to sew the uniforms or face being sent out of the classrooms.
Speaking at the schools visited, the governor vowed to strictly enforce the compulsory Universal Basic Education and warned that parents and guardians who failed to send their children and wards to school would be prosecuted.
Oshiomhole noted that the state government has provided suitable environment in the schools as well as ensured that teachers are paid good wages and inducement allowances and as such teachers must deliver
He said: “These beautiful classrooms are useless if teachers don’t teach the students. Government will sack and replace teachers who do not show good attitude to work.
“We have to make sure people earn their pay. No politics in school. If people do not submit to your authority, when you punish the person, find out if the governor will intervene. If you excuse the person, then I will punish you.
“Any time a teacher does not show up in school, the students will be wasting their time. The head mistress will also be queried because she has the responsibility to explain to me why people are allowed to sign fraudulently on the register when they are not present.:
He continued:“I am not happy with some teachers who are not punctual and are in the habit of not coming to work. The government will take disciplinary action against them.
“Teachers who are absent from school will be dismissed because we cannot continue to pay them. We will employ those ready to work to earn their wages, while those who are late will forfeit part of their pay.”
Zonal Inspectors, CIEs and Local Government Education officers attached to schools were sacked after last week’s State Executive Council (SEC) meeting. Their plea to be forgiven was rebuffed.
One of them said he did not check school registers whenever he went for inspections.
Oshiomhole said the sack was the outcome of continuing performance audit to sanitise the education sector, adding that explanation by the officials showed that they have breached their basic duties to monitor schools and file reports.
He said the state government has lost millions of naira of taxpayers’ money because of their failure to do their duties.
According to him, “You are guilty of negligence of duty and even abandonment of your duties. I believe that, most times, you don’t even come to work. We do not need this set of Zonal Inspectors of Education, Chief Inspectors of Education and Local Government Education Inspectors.
“The days are gone when people don’t do their jobs. It’s shocking that you recognise that you are supposed to have written reports, yet you fail to do so.
“I am happy that parents and guardians are returning their children and wards to public schools as a result of the massive investment we have made in the education sector, yet, you who are to ensure that teachers work do not do so.
Oshiomhole added:“I’m not hiding the fact that only those who are willing to work will keep their jobs. Everybody must be accountable. I am accountable to the Edo people, the House of Assembly is accountable, and so if we are accountable, who are you not to be accountable.
“It’s a new Edo, everybody must be put on notice to work and justify their pay. I have a duty to remind you that when you have abandoned your job, you have also lost it,” he said.
Reacting to the governor’s action, State Chairman of All Nigeria Conference of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS), Comrade David Ikidi, said Oshiomhole did what others refused to do.
Ikidi said teachers must be alive to their responsibilities and expressed optimism that Oshiomhole might rescind the sack action.
State Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Teachers Comrade Akin Adeojo said they had made a plea to the governor to temper justice with mercy. He said the sack would be counter-productive.
Adeojo said it was not the best to announce dismissal without giving fair hearing to the teachers.
“We don’t like the action but we don’t encourage truancy and laziness. Due process was not also followed. We will appeal to Governor Oshiomhole to allow them go back to the classrooms,” hesaid.
He explained that the NUT leadership usually organised forums where teachers are told to be responsible to their jobs and society.
Commissioner for Education, Ekpenisi Omorotiomwan who justified the sack, said the government’s investment in education would be a total waste if such action were not taken.
The commissioner disclosed that more than 150,000 pupils pulled out from private schools to join public schools in the state.
He noted that teachers were not conscious enough to know that it was not business as usual with the volume of money the state is spending and encouragement given to them.
According to him, “I have cautioned them. I have suspended some when necessary. This is something I have been doing since I became commissioner. What the governor has done is the climax of what I have been doing.”
He said he couldn’t do what the governor did because his powers are limited as a commissioner.
During the last Teacher’s Day celebration on October 5, the State Chairman of the NUT, Comrade Patrick Ikosimi appreciated the state government for prompt payment of salaries, re-introduction and regular payment of subvention to schools and rehabilitation.
Investigation revealed that more teachers and education officers are to be affected in coming weeks. Sources said the state government has decided to investigate alleged falsification of age and certificates declared by the teachers.
