The Ondo State Government Monday suspended four teachers and issued query to a school principal and ordered their salaries to be stopped for frequent absence from duty.
The Chairman of Ondo State Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM) Prof Francis Igbasan gave the order at Ala Elefosan Community, Idanre, after a school monitoring and inspection at Idanre Local Government area.
He said; “As at 9:35am, no teacher was seen in any of the five classes visited.
“And going through this school’s register, Fridays seem to be declared public holidays.
“The tone of the school is poor with everything in shamble even the school head is yet to be seen.
“As a result of these anomalies, four teachers who are frequently caught in the web of absenteeism are hereby suspended with the school principal summoned for query and all these teachers’ salaries being stopped.”
Igbasan noted that the four teachers had taken it as a habit to go away from their duties without any official permission.
According to him, when teachers are in-disciplined and notorious, students will toe the same path.
The Chairman stated that things could not continue in wrong ways if desired change was to be pursued strictly.
He boasted that he is in charge of this commission to correct the wrongs and anomalies, saying; “you will agree with me that we need a change of attitude”
Responding, Mr Muhammed Isah, the school’s Vice Principal, pleaded for leniency, promising to amend their ways.
The commission also visited Idanre High School, Idanre in the local government area.
If the pupils of Ago Owu Primary School on Market Lane, Shogunle, a Lagos suburb, are to make a list of their favourite morning duties, it is most unlikely that packing human faeces would be one of them. That, however, is a duty they have had to perform on a daily basis. As a matter of fact, they do not start lessons until the authorities are sure that they have packed all the faeces generated by hoodlums who have turned the school into their colony.
The hoodlums either defecate directly on the floor of the classrooms or wrap their faeces in nylons and drop them in the pupils’ lockers, making the environment messy and unhygienic for learning. Hence, every day, the pupils have to endure ridding the classrooms of feaces, sachets of local herbal gin, used condoms and sundry items the hoodlums abandon in their classrooms.
Since they forced their ways into the premises of the affected schools more than a decade ago, the hoodlums have refused to vacate them in spite of periodic raids carried out by the police. Apart from defecating in the classrooms, they have also vandalised them as well as the store, toilets, fence and furniture, among other items.
The environment, both outside and inside the school was a repulsive sight when our correspondent visited on January 12, 2016.
Opposite the school gate, a shack houses auto mechanics and a block industry while a heap of firewood lay close to its derelict gate. On the left fringe of the school’s entrance lay a hole in the perimeter fence, which offers more than a glimpse of what the school compound looks like from the outside. The scene bears tell tale signs of abandonment, unhygienic learning environment and decrepit state of infrastructure in the school established on October 3, 1980.
Inside the school premises, foul odour oozed out of a block of classrooms close to the left wing of the perimeter fence. Right inside the decrepit classrooms, disused nylons, plastic bottles and human faeces and other unseemly items competed for space. The classrooms, built in 2009 by the immediate past administration of Governor Babatunde Fashola, have become deplorable in the wake of its vandalisation by hoodlums.
There were gaping holes in the roofs of the vandalised classrooms. Many of the furniture, including the desks and tables belonging to students and teachers, are not spared by the hoodlums, a situation that leaves the pupils with inadequate furniture for sitting or writing.
The roofs of some of the classrooms were said to have been brought down by hoodlums during a fight recently.
It was gathered that once the 35-year-old school, which shares the same compound with Folaranmi Primary School, closes at 2 pm, the hoodlums take over its premises,. They defecate in the classrooms and other places they choose and also hide their belongings, including clothes, shoes, marijuana and weapons, there.
“Hoodlums have virtually turned learning here into a nightmare for the teachers and pupils, and the police have not been able to dislodge them,” lamented a source in the school, who pleaded not to be named.
Learning with tears
Most times, the pupils have to shut their windows to avoid inhaling the offensive odour from some of the abandoned classrooms littered with human faeces. Besides, the hoodlums, it was gathered, usually barge into the classrooms while lessons were on to remove some of the items they had hidden there, while the panicky pupils and their teachers look helpless. The water and toilet facility, as well as the school’s library, have also been vandalised.
A female teacher, who did not want her name in print for fear of retribution, said: ”The school is everything a good school should not be. The hoodlums have been using the school as home for many years now. They destroyed many things here until former Governor Raji Fashola built new classrooms and provided water and new furniture in 2009.
The source added: “The hoodlums usually loiter around the premises waiting for us to depart after school hours. And because we are now using hard padlocks to shut the toilets, they would defecate, wrap their faeces in nylons and drop them inside the desks. In the morning, the unsuspecting pupils would dip their hands in the faeces kept in their desks.
“Whenever they could not find tissue paper to clean up after defecating, they would tear the foam of the cushion chairs for that purpose. The hoodlums enter the premises of the school through the broken fence and sometimes jump in through the wall separating the school from a market.”
Pupils in one of the classrooms with the vandalised ceiling in Community Primary School, Ewu Tuntun
Some pupils, who shared their pathetic story with our correspondent, confirmed that hoodlums constitute nuisance to the school.
A primary four pupil, who identified himself simply as Olumide, said: “Some people come to defecate in our classrooms and drop faeces there every day. They hide faeces in our desks and under the chairs. We usually pack the rubbish every morning before starting our lesson, but they won’t cease from coming to do their rubbish here.”
One of the class teachers, who spoke in confidence, confirmed that the hoodlums usually wrap the faeces inside polythene bags and drop them on the floor or inside the desks.
He said: “They wrap the faeces and drop them inside the desks and at times excrete on the floor of the classrooms. The pupils are made to clear the faeces before the commencement of lesson every day.
“They’ll break into some of the offices and vandalise books and furniture. They also hide marijuana in the ceilings of the classrooms. The police have not been able to apprehend the hoodlums because wrong persons are usually arrested whenever the police raid this area.”
Our correspondent observed that some of the vandalised classrooms have been abandoned, while others with windows cannot be shut because they have been broken by the vagabonds.
Another source, who asked not to be named, said: “To stave off further intrusion, some of the doors to the classrooms were fortified with iron and burglar proofs, but the hoodlums would still destroy the windows through which they gain access to the classrooms. They would bathe, wash their clothes and spread them on the furniture within and outside the buildings. Only recently, they (hoodlums) broke into the office of the head teacher and looted it.”
Bad influence
The school’s buildings provide a shade for the hoodlums to sell illicit items such as marijuana and other stimulants. It was learnt that marijuana is usually hidden in the ceilings of the classrooms. It was learnt that the hoodlums and their customers usually converged on the school premises at 4 pm to transact business (sale of hard drugs) and would revel in it till late in the night.
A female teacher, who did not want her name in print, confided in our correspondent that the hoodlums were able to influence one of the pupils a few years ago by asking the innocent boy to watch over marijuana and weapons hidden in the ceilings of his classroom. It was learnt that the boy in question has since taken to hard drugs and now works as bus conductor.
She said: “There was a primary four pupil whose parents live in the neighbourhood. The boy was the one serving as courier for the hoodlums by helping them to hide and bring out hard drugs hidden in the classrooms.
“The boy was caught and reported to his parents, who tried in vain to rein their son. At a point, the boy’s mother told us that she was helpless as her son had become recalcitrant.
“I taught the boy when he was in primary four. But it is sad that today he smokes marijuana and works as a bus conductor in Oshodi (Lagos). I have sighted him several times at the Oshodi Motor Park, and I was not happy on each occasion.”
The school’s head teacher, Mrs. Vivour Ayobola, declined comment when our correspondent approached her. She said she had no authority to talk to journalists as a civil servant.
She said: “As a civil servant, I am not permitted by civil service rule to speak on a matter like this.”
Ayobola and some non-teaching members of the school’s staff prevented our correspondent from taking photographs of the vandalised buildings. A few of the photographs used here had been taken before the head teacher was approached for comment.
An official of the Oshodi/Isolo Local Education Authority, who craved anonymity, said the presence of the hoodlums poses a great danger to the pupils and teachers in the school. He said he had personally carried out a raid on the school a few years ago during which he seized heaps of marijuana from the hoodlums.
The official added: “There is need to remove the hoodlums from the school because their continued siege to the school portends danger for pupils and teachers.
“The hoodlums have laid siege to the school for more than 10 years now. I once routed the hoodlums from the school during an afternoon raid a few years ago and seized several trays of marijuana from them. The marijuana confiscated was handed over to a nearby police division, but the hoodlums returned to terrify pupils and teachers.”
A resident, Mrs. Omolayo Adejumo, said fears that the pupils could be molested or influenced by hoodlums had made many parents in the area not to enroll their children in the school. She said: “Let me be honest with you, many of the parents in the neighbourhood don’t like enrolling their children in the school because the hoodlums are usually seen loitering around the premises even during school hours.
“The hoodlums smoke marijuana and take alcohol in the school premises and teachers cannot challenge them for fear of being beaten up. In that kind of situation, do you think it is advisable to enroll one’s children there? The environment is not just conducive for learning.”
The ugly spectacles at Ago Owu Primary School also applies at Mafoluku school complex, also in Oshodi/Isolo Local Government Area, where learning and teaching have become nightmares for pupils and teachers. The school complex, which accommodates Community Primary School, Ewu Tuntun; State Primary School, Ewu Tuntun and Mafoluku Primary School bleeds from the activities of hoodlums who have made the schools a haven.
A visitor to the school is confronted by dilapidated buildings, broken fence and refuse that litter the premises.
At the point of entry from Bode Onifade Street, where the schools are located, stands a dilapidated classroom block. The block, which accommodates primary one and two pupils of Mafoluku Primary School, is a sorry sight unfit for learning. The roofs are shattered and the ceilings are broken. The windows can no longer be closed, having been allegedly destroyed by hoodlums.
It was learnt that the roofs were broken in an attempt by the hoodlums to gain access after the doors to the classrooms were locked. At the moment, gaping holes are everywhere in the classrooms.
On the left fringe of the complex, a decrepit classroom block belonging to Community Primary School, stares a visitor in the face. The building was said to have been abandoned after it was also vandalised by the hoodlums.
A new building constructed by the school- based management committee of Oshodi/Isolo Local Government is far from giving succour to the distraught pupils. The new building sited at the back of the vandalised classrooms is without ceiling to insulate the classrooms from the heat produced by scorching sun. The male pupils usually pull off their shirts when the heat descends, while the female ones run outside in search of air.
“The building was provided by the school-based management committee after the other classroom block was vandalised. The committee decided to build a new classroom block to alleviate the suffering of teachers and students, but there is no ceiling in the classrooms, hence, pupils run outside to escape heat whenever the sun is at its peak.” said a teacher in the school who declined identity.
Like their counterparts in Ago Owu Primary School, the vagabonds also defecate and drop faeces inside the pupils’ lockers in the three schools.
A number of the classrooms are left with gaping holes in their roofs and ceilings after they were allegedly destroyed by hoodlums.
As a result, the floors of the classrooms are usually water-logged whenever it rains while pupils scamper for safety in the corners of their classrooms. The floors of the affected classrooms have been destroyed without any hope of repair in sight.
The toilets and water facilities in the schools are not spared. The hoodlums have broken the sewage pipes connected to the toilet, causing faeces to spill from the bust pipes at the back of the toilet.
A classroom block at State Primary School is also vandalised by hoodlums. The roof of the block overlooking a staff room has been destroyed, exposing the pupils to environmental hazards.
Before the Yuletide break in December last year, the hoodlums were said to have destroyed a borehole machine and pipes that carried water to a surface tank that serves the three schools. It was gathered that the borehole was fixed a few days ago by the head teachers of the three schools.
A source within the schools told our correspondent that “the hoodlums have been recalcitrant to the extent that they are not deterred by constant raids carried out by the police.”
In yet another instance of madness, one of the hoodlums was said to have robbed a female teacher during school hours. It was gathered that the teacher was teaching in front of the class when a hoodlum removed the bag she placed on a seat and ran away. A non-teaching member of staff, who craved anonymity, recalled the incident, saying: “It was like a scene from the movies about six months ago when a female teacher was dispossessed of her bag containing money and other valuables. The teacher moved to the entrance of the class to attend to a pupil when a young man barged into the classroom through the window and stole the bag.
“All the efforts made to apprehend him were in vain. Some of the mechanics nearby, however, succeeded in apprehending the hoodlum a few days later but the money and phones kept in the bag had been removed.”
Our correspondent observed that several parts of the school’s fence had collapsed. Sources within the school said the collapsed walls were caused by the hoodlums who wanted to have easy access into the premises.
A woman, who identified herself as the head teacher of one of the schools, accosted our correspondent and warned him to leave the premises, saying: “Journalists are not permitted to take photographs or report anything about the school.” The woman and two members of the non-teaching staff of the school led our correspondent out of the school complex and warned him never to return.
Witnessing a convergence
The day was just winding up when our correspondent arrived at Market Lane, Shogunle penultimate Tuesday to witness the convergence of hoodlums on Ago Owu Primary School. To stave off suspicion, he made friends with two male workers of a block making company in front of the school. One of the workers introduced our correspondent as his ‘very good friend’ to a stoutly built owner of a nearby mechanic workshop who offered him a stool to sit under the shed that served as the workshop.
By 4.30 pm, the hoodlums started arriving in trickles. One of them called ‘Ciro’, led two others into the school premises through a large hole on the school fence and headed straight to an abandoned toilet near the fence. Ciro, a stocky youth of average height who wore a yellow short sleeved shirt on a pair of blue jeans, dropped a black nylon bag inside the toilet and changed into a brown T-shirt. About 20 minutes later, he emerged from the decrepit building with a small brown bag hanging across his body.
“Wa gb’oja sinu tray (spread the marijuana in a tray),” Ciro yelled at one of his aides in a guttural voice before leading them into one of the two classroom blocks where they spent about 40 minutes. At exactly 5.35 pm, eight other hoodlums entered and exchanged banter with Ciro and his aides before settling down for a marijuana smoking and drinking spree right at the centre of the compound.
Others soon joined and a cacophony erupted from the excited hoodlums. Some of the names they bear include ‘Shakur’; Tiri’; Agaba; Gbade; Timo and Elele.
Desks and tables removed from the classrooms were brought into the open space with marijuana and herbal drinks placed on them as money changed hands between Ciro’s aides and their customers.
As the smoking and boozing session continued, some other hoodlums dashed in and out of the compound, while others went into the classrooms for unknown reasons. A few others stood near the locked school gate smoking marijuana and consuming sachets of local herbal gin.
By 7.15 pm when our correspondent left the place, more and more hoodlums were still trooping into the school.
On Wednesday January 20, 20916, our correspondent visited Mafoluku Primary School, State Primary School, Ewu Tuntun and Community Primary School, Ewu Tuntun , which all share the same compound on Bode Onifade Street, Mafoluku, Oshodi. By the time he arrived the school at 5.30 pm, a horde of hoodlums had gathered there, smoking marijuana and consuming liquor. They were seen jumping from one classroom to another with different brands of herbal gins in their hands.
The Nation’s correspondent, who pretended that he needed some marijuana, was introduced by a youth in the area to another tall, light-complexioned youth called ‘Onile’, who brought out wraps of marijuana from a black nylon bag for a fee.
Iso, Tebati, Ogbos and Iskilu are some of the names the hoodlums addressed themselves with.
The hoodlums, who included young girls, were about 40 in number, and they moved from one end of the expansive school complex to another. A fight later ensued between two of the hoodlums over an undisclosed amount of money collected from a local musician during a street party held in the area a few days earlier. The resultant physical combat was later settled when ‘Onile’ asked the warring parties to leave the premises or risk being embarrassed.
Onile said: “E maa ba business je funmi o. Tee ba le maintain, e kuro nibi or else maa jeju yin (don’t spoil my business for me. Move out of this place, if you cannot behave yourselves or I embarrass you).”
As at 8.15 pm when our correspondent left the area, misguided youths were still trooping in and out of the school complex, fouling the air with smoke from marijuana.
A resident, Mrs Peace Ibezim, said the hoodlums were in the habit of causing panic in the community as they often engage in free for all.
She said: “We live in fear in this community as a result of the presence of hoodlums. They would converge on the school complex in hundreds to smoke marijuana, drink alcohol and even rape girls.
“Most times they engage in free for all and take their fights to the streets, causing panicky residents to scamper into safety. They use some of the dangerous weapons which they keep inside the school complex whenever they confront one another.”
Experts have urged the state government to take immediate action towards curbing the conversion of school premises into dens of hoodlums with the attendant destruction of educational facilities and buildings.
A retired school principal, Mr Edwin Kolapo, urged the authorities to engage community leaders in a bid to keep the hoodlums at bay. Kolapo said: “There is no way hoodlums who have occupied a school complex for a very long time can easily be dislodged. My advice to the Local Government Education Authority and the state Ministry of Education is to include community leaders in their plan.
“Most of these boys are known to landlords in the community and they can easily be tracked down and prevented from escaping before the arrival of security agents, with the assistance of the community leaders.”
A community leader in Mafoluku area of Oshodi, Elder James Adedoyin, said there was need for the state government to provide adequate security for schools.
Describing the development as unfortunate during a telephone conversation, the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Education, Mrs Olabisi Ariyo, said government was already addressing the matter.
“The problem with education development in the state is that people are not helping government at all. Otherwise, I don’t see any reason why hoodlums should jump into public schools. In some schools, they broke down the fence and it is sad that people are destroying facilities put in place with tax payers’ money. That is why we have decided to stop the use of public schools to host social functions or parties to prevent hoodlums from gaining access.”
She said the state government would engage security agencies to assist in protecting public schools from vandals.
“We are also embarking on massive fencing of our schools and discussing with relevant security agencies to have the schools secured. Only recently, we carried out a raid on some schools in some parts of Lagos with the help of the police and we succeeded in chasing out hoodlums out of the affected schools. At the moment, men of the Neighbourhood Watch are being deployed to ensure protection of schools and facilities.”
Efforts made by our correspondent to reach the spokesman of the Lagos State Police Command, Mrs. Dolapo Badmos, on her mobile phone yielded no result. She also had not responded to a text message forwarded to her mobile phone at press time.
Primary school teachers currently rendering assistance to pupils despite the ongoing industrial action embarked upon by workers in Kogi State have been commended for their noble services to humanity.
Kogi State Chairman of the Universal Basic Education Board SUBEB, Mallam Nuhu Ahmed gave the commendation while speaking with newsmen in Lokoja.
Ahmed who disclosed that the primary school teachers have been receiving part payment of their salaries up to date commended their sense of understanding and cooperation in catering to the educational needs of the younger generation.
He explained that the revenue meant for the payment of teachers‘ salaries at the primary school level comes direct from the federal allocation contrary to the believe that the state government is responsible for it.
He expressed appreciation to the immediate past governor of the state, Capt. Idris Wada for making it possible for the board to access its counterpart fund for the year 2012, 2013 and 2014 at a stretch, pointing out that the fund has made it possible for it to issue out contracts to upgrade the facilities at various schools across the 21 local government areas of the state.
The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has urged governments at all levels to involve teachers in the implementation of school feeding programme.
Mr. Michael Olukoya, NUT National President, made the call at the 2016 `Solemn Assembly’ of the union in Abuja on Wednesday.
He advised that the free meal policy should be targeted at the children of the poor.
He said that this was the first time that the children of the poor would benefit from the dividends of democracy.
On the Federal Government’s plan to recruit 500,000 teachers, Olukoya pleaded with the government to recruit qualified teachers.
“The NUT is appealing to the Federal Government to put the right pegs in the right holes in the recruitment of the 500,000 teachers.
“The idea of recruiting engineers, architects, lawyers in the name of the teaching profession, sincerely speaking, might not achieve the desired goals.
“We want the government of this country to have a rethink by making sure that those that will be recruited are those that have been trained as professional teachers.
“There is no way that an engineer, if given even six months training, will become a professional teacher.’’
He added that to teach is a passion and those that have learnt the art of teaching, should be recruited.
He also appealed to state governments not implementing the N18,000 minimum wage to start paying as doing otherwise amounts to modern day slavery.
He also called for the inclusion of private school teachers in the pension scheme and minimum wage.
He also assured teachers in Kwara State who are presently on strike of the union’s support, stressing, “no retreat, no surrender.’’
The president urged states paying teachers as they please to stop, warning that if the practice persisted, the states would become ungovernable.
He also pleaded with kidnappers to leave teachers alone, adding that they don’t have money to pay ransom.
Kaduna State government has approved career enhancement for teachers to rise to Grade Level 17.
Governor Nasir El-Rufai said his administration would build six science secondary schools.
Commissioner for Education Dr. Shehu Usman Adamu said the approval of teachers’ career progression followed a promise by Governor El-Rufai to ensure that they rise to the highest grade without stopping teaching.
He said teachers who rise to Grade Level 17 will be addressed as director-tutors, adding that such teachers will be made to use their knowledge and experience to teach specific subjects.
The Edo Government has commenced the process of recruiting 5,000 teachers for its public primary and secondary schools, Mr Gideon Obakhan, the state’s Commissioner for Education, has said.
Obakhan, who made this known on Thursday while speaking with newsmen, said 50 science and special teachers had already been recruited for those with special needs.
According to him, induction and orientation programmes have been organised for the teachers.
“They have concluded this and they are being posted out to different schools in the state.
“We are also going to start the process of the employment of 3,000 teachers within a short while. We have carried out an analysis to that effect.
“Our long term plan is to have about 5,000 teachers before the end of 2016.
“We are still doing an analysis to be sure we are getting efficiency.
“Because of the separation of senior secondary and junior secondary schools, there have been some requests for teachers.
“We need to do some analysis to know the exact number that we need now but we know that there have been some complaints about teachers in some schools,’’ he said.
The commissioner said the state would get the required number of teachers to run its schools, adding that many of them would be posted to rural areas.
“We are also taking a firm stand on redistribution of teachers across schools in the state.
“We have made it clear that there will be no preference in teachers’ redistribution, including those already in the system because lot of people lobby to remain in the urban centres.
“We have made it known to them that people in the rural areas are not less important than those in the cities.
“So, if you are ready to take up appointment, you should be ready to go anywhere,” he stated.
The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in Kwara State has said primary school teachers will today begin strike to protest four months’ salary arrears.
The Chairman, Comrade Musa Abubakar, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday at Kaiama in Kaiama Local Government, that the union could no longer guarantee industrial harmony, following their unpaid salaries.
NAN reports that the strike would begin when schools are expected to resume from the first term holiday.
The NUT chairman said the teachers had been loyal and dedicated to their duties despite government’s failure to pay them salaries.
He said: “I want to believe they have tried. If federal lawmakers are not paid for four months, I doubt if you will see anybody in the red or green chambers.
“I recall that in Oyo State, legislators were not paid for just two months and they did not go to work.
“So for us to have worked for four months without pay, I think the teachers have tried. That was why we told the government that we could not guarantee industrial harmony again.
“We cannot guarantee any teacher going to class today to teach with an empty stomach, except the problem is addressed.”
According to him, workers from other sectors would soon join the strike in the spirit of solidarity.
The NUT leader decried the government for creating a dichotomy between primary and secondary school teachers.
He claimed that a Supreme Court judgment in 2002 made state governments responsible for the management and funding of primary schools.
“It is just unfortunate that a situation as this revolves round primary school teachers.
“I want to say that if the trend should continue, the primary school system will collapse.”
Abubakar urged the government to do the right thing.
“Education is the key and the bedrock of our development, particularly at the grassroots.
“If this trend is not checked, honestly, this country will run into a problem.”So I enjoin federal, state and local governments to ensure that the ugly trend is checked.”
He said once that was done, proliferation of private primary schools, due to the public’s loss of confidence in public schools, would be checked.
Ondo State government has suspended three principals and 23 teachers of secondary schools indefinitely over alleged lackadaisical attitude to work and indiscipline.
The Chairman of the state Teaching Service Commission, Mr Francis Igbasan disclosed this in Akure, the state capital at the presentation of promotion letters to 2,500 teachers in the state.
He explained that during an unscheduled visit of members of the commission to over 72 secondary schools across the state, it was discovered that the hammered principals and teachers were not discipline.
According to him, “the commission would not take the issue of indiscipline at
work lightly again, the TESCOM of yesterday is different from the TESCOM of today. Any teacher or member of staff that is not serious at his or her duty posts would be shown the way out.
“This government is trying its best for workers of this state, so the workers too should reciprocate it with hardwork,” he added.
At the occasion, Governor Olusegun Mimiko announced that the commission has been directed to recruit 1,050 teachers.
Mimiko, who was presented by his deputy, Alhaji Lasisi Oluboyo stated that the recruitment would be based on merit and the recruitment examination conducted in 2014 will also be used .
Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State, has promised that his administration will not sack any teacher from the state civil service.
“But we will not fail to reassign any teacher that does not have the requisite qualifications to be in the classroom,” Tambuwal said on Monday in Dogon-Daji, Tambuwal Local Government Area.
The governor made the promise in his address at the annual national congress of the old Boys’ association of his Alma-mater, Government Secondary School, Dogon Daji.
He said: “Beginning from the next budget, government will ensure continuous training and retraining of teachers to update their knowledge and make them conform to modern teaching techniques.
“Huge sums of money have been budgeted for that purpose.
“Let me announce it here that we do not plan to retrench any teacher working with the state government.
“In fact we need qualified teachers to address shortfall in numbers.
“What we will not condone in our schools are unqualified teachers who have nothing to offer our children.
“If after giving you the necessary training, we discovered that you do not have the capacity or enthusiasm to teach, we will reassign you to where your expertise if most needed.”
While commending the executive of the association for its diligence in the face of mounting challenges, Tambuwal solicited its support in government’s efforts to take Sokoto state to greater heights.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that at the end of the congress, Alhaji Nasiru Idris was elected national President of the association while Abdullahi Muhammed was elected Secretary.
The head teacher, Rauf Aregbesola Primary School, Mr Bankole Adebayo and Abati Primary School Akowonjo, Mrs Adebisi Adekoya, all in Lagos State, have thanked the Executive Secretary, Lagos State Government Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) in Alimosho, Airat Alamu for facilitating the distribution of school bags and other learning materials to the pupils from a non-governmental organisation (NGO), the United for Kids Foundation.
Alamu said: “We will do our best to see public schools take the rightful place and reclaim its past glory by partnering with private organisations, NGOs in fulfilling Mr. Governor’s agenda to continue to uplift Primary schools in Lagos State.
“As you can see the past administration in Lagos State has left indelible marks on public education in Lagos State and the government is also working round the clock to improve on this and restore back excellence in our public schools.”
The NGO’s Programme Manager, Mrs Aameenah Yinus-Ali said: “Our foundation is set out to assist the government in our little capacity to ensure good and sound education are given to the kids in the public schools .
