Teachers lament shortage of manpower in public schools

The Ondo State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has lamented the acute shortage of teachers in public schools in the State, urging the State government to do more to improve the education sector

State chairman of NUT, Comrade Ojo Fanimokun in his speech at the 2015 World Teachers’ Day Celebration, who decried the poor staffing situation of the primary, secondary and technical colleges across the state, disclosed that a particular primary school has only one teacher to attend to the educational needs of primary one to six pupils.

He noted “over five hundred teachers have been retiring from our primary schools on yearly basis for the past six years without any replacement.” Adding that the situation has led “to exodus of school children from public school to private schools especially in the rural areas”.

The chairman expressed the teachers’ support for the state’s verification exercise saying, “What we are against is deliberate attempt to punish innocent teachers under the guise of verification.”

According to him: “During the 2013 verification exercise, many of our teachers were subjected to unimaginable pains, agony, hardship, psychological torture etc. The exercise forced some of our teachers to die before their time.

“It is on the above premise that we are calling on the state government to restore the names of 166 primary school teachers (SUBEB Staff) and 200 TESCOM staff removed from the payment vouchers.”

The NUT boss tasked the state government on timely payment of salaries stressing that “More machines, tools and equipment should be provided in our technical schools for better performance and improved service delivery”

He appealed to the governor to reopen Government Technical College, Aiyetoro in Ilaje LGA saying “This will help our youths in that area who are yearning for Technical and Vocational Training to have opportunity to enrol in the college.”

Fanimokun appreciated the Governor Olusegun Mimiko, for the “passionate feelings and deep concern for the welfare of our teachers”

He lauded the President Muhammadu Buhari for his unrelenting efforts at curbing corruption and insecurity in the country.

Mimiko remarked that the noticeable decline in societal values is engendered by the neglect of the teachers, whom he described as the cerebral powerhouse of the society. 

“Teaching is a divine calling, any society that does not value teachers will fail because they are the centre of values, the critical elements in the development of any nation,” Mimiko said. 

Reacting to the demands of the teachers, the governor reaffirmed his commitment by saying, “The more you invest in teachers, and the more you invest in the development of the society. The societies we envy in the world today are the societies that invest in the development of the teachers.”