Students and Pupils across Adamawa State are in high spirits to resume classes on Monday 12th October, 2020 following a directive by Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri to reopen schools after a long break occasioned by COVID-19 pandemic.
One thing is certain, that some schools may spend a couple of days clearing weeds that have taken over some portions of the schools. Aside this, some Stakeholders in the education sector in the state have expressed concern over the level of teaching and teachers in public schools, alleging that some teachers cannot write their names beside truancy.
At a forum in Yola, the Adamawa State capital, the stakeholders who were teachers by profession recalled the good olden days of teaching, and blamed the present crops of graduates for the inability of teachers to impact knowledge to their students and pupils.
The Executive Secretary, Adamawa State Post Primary Schools Management Board,(ADPPSMB) Yola, Mrs Maryam Abubakar expressed worry that some teachers nowadays cannot write their names.
“I’m sorry to say our teachers now, some of them cannot even write their names, we should begin to blame our teachers, some of them are not serious, they don’t go into class, even if they go to class they go without a lesson plan”. She retorted
She frowned at the behaviour exhibited by some teachers, saying “sincerely speaking most of our teachers are not doing anything now; true, our teachers today are not serious”.
Abubakar enjoined the teachers, students and parents to support the good policies and programmes aimed at revamping the education sector by Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri.
“The governor gives feeding free, free education, he gives everything to schools, and we should sit down and ask ourselves are we doing the right thing? if not let’s change”. She added
On his part, Executive Chairman, Adamawa State Universal Basic Education Board (ADSUBEB) Yola Dr. Salihi Ateequ said some teachers wasted a lot of time during the period of classes without attending to pupils or students.
“Many of us don’t teach, many of us will go to class wasting their time and the time of the pupils, many of us don’t have good characters and the thing continues year in year out”. He said
Attequ also expressed dismay that some Principals and Headmasters connived with teachers and adopted a sharing formula to appear only during screening.
“Some of us may just be teachers by proxy, they only come to work when supervisors are going there in order to check and then the Headmaster or Principal will tell him to quickly come all the way from Maiduguri or whatever because there is screening, after screening he vamoose.
“We all know about 70-30, 60-40, 80-20, the headmaster will carry 40 and then the absentee teacher will carry 60”. He added.
Attequ called on teachers to refrain from such acts and behalf like Prophets, stressing that Prophets are teachers.
“A teacher is expected to be a replica of a Prophet, almost all the Prophets were teachers and then Prophets were good and so we should emulate them”. He said
Also speaking, Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development Mrs. Wulbina Jackson warned that any teacher caught staying at home will face the music.
“It is not business as usual, I’m saying this with strong worded statements, that teachers should start going to school right away and prepare their lesson notes, we don’t have time, we wasted a lot of time on COVID-19 pandemic”. She added
Reacting, Comrade Rodney Nathan, Chairman Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) Adamawa State Wing said leadership of the union will not shield any teacher that contravenes the laid down civil service rules.
He however attributed the trend to poor remunerations and lack of implementation of new wages that can boost teachers’ morale.
“We call on his Excellency, to ensure that teachers in primary schools are promoted, upgraded and paid their Leave Transport Grant and teachers in primary schools enjoyed N30, 000, 00 minimum wage”. He added
