Dr. Peter Anule, teacher with a difference
17 April 2022 |
2:52 am
This has made several people not appreciate the efforts of teachers in shaping the lives of the students whom they teach and in turn the society in which they live
Benue varsity. Photo: WUZUPNIGERIA
Sir: Many people are used to this saying, ‘the reward of the teacher is in heaven.’
This has made several people not appreciate the efforts of teachers in shaping the lives of the students whom they teach and in turn the society in which they live. This has also given room to the ill-treatment of teachers, especially by some state governments. For example, in states like Benue, teachers are the worst hit whenever it comes to non-payment of salaries.
Because society neglects teachers a lot, some teachers have also become rotten eggs in the basket. Over the years, a lot of negative stories have been told about some teachers, especially those who teach in higher institutions of learning. Some of them have forgotten that their actions and inactions go a long way in shaping society.
Some lecturers are associated with vices ranging from sexual harassment, extortion and sometimes sponsoring cult activities in school. In the face of all these, when a lecturer stands out, he or she should be commended. It is on this premise, that I write to commend one lecturer who has proven to be different. Dr. Peter Terfa Anule, a lecturer in the Department of Geography, Benue State University Makurdi.
Dr. Anule whom I came across in 2006 when I enrolled for a Bachelor of Science degree at the university is one man who treats each of his students as his biological children. Though a young man who was of the same age as some of the students, Dr. Anule has lived and demonstrated that lecturing was a job he took purposefully to instil morals and professional knowledge in the students. This teacher of cartography and environmental chemistry, I was told, started his career with the defunct Nigeria Electricity Power Authority and rose to the position of marketing manager in the Gboko branch of the company. He, however, left the job, which was by then far lucrative and highly paid because he saw too many sharp practices in the job and decided to pick a lesser paid lecturing appointment with Benue State University Makurdi, a profession he believed was nobler irrespective of the low pay.
Throughout our stay at the university, Dr. Peter Anule was the epitome of humility. His humane disposition was so much that many students could even approach him for even financial assistance.
Unlike other instances where lecturers take advantage of students who come close to them and begin to look for ways of extorting such students, Dr. Anule would rather gather students in his office and encourage them on moral and social issues as well as academic excellence.
The time has come for lecturers to take a deep reflection on the actions they are known for in the school. Those who use their positions to harass and extort their students should also know that the world is watching them daily.
• Fanen Stephen Tyoakyoso, writes from Makurdi.
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