Employ Teachers To Save Education Sector From Collapse, CDHR Urges DSTG

By Oguns Sammy (Warri)

The Committee for Defence of Human Right (CDHR), Udu Unit in Udu Local Government Area, has appealed to the Delta State Government through the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education headed by Hon Patrick Ukah to employ teachers in the area of Arts in Udu Local Government Area in particular and Delta State in general.

Udu unit CDHR made this appeal through its Co-ordinator, Comrade (Amb) Derrick Oritsematosan Agberen when speaking with newsmen in his office in Udu LGA of the state on Thursday.

He said many schools in Udu LGA lack teachers especially in English and Literature.which are very important in the curriculum.

He said: “It is evidently clear that many public schools lack teachers in the arts especially in English and litreature.”

The Udu Unit CDHR boss spoke on the basis of complaiint the body received from an anonymous caller who raised alarm over the inability of his parents to pay one hundred and fifty naira (#150.00) in Udu, namely Ekete Secondary School situated at Kotokoto Street off Orhuwhorun Road in Udu LGA being the amount charged by the Principal of the school ‘to pay a private literature teacher in the school.

It was alleged that the Principal had threatened the students with strokes of the cane should they (students) fail to pay the said amount.

According to the Udu Unit CDHR Co-ordinator, Comrade( Amb) Agberen, the body’s task force team among whom are Comrade Abraham Oghenevwede and Comrade Christopher Proze had to visit the school to ascertain the true state of affairs.by meeting the Principal

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According to Comrade Amb Agberen, the principal explained that his predecessor has been footing the priivate literature teacher’s bills for the past two years since the state government-employed teacher of the subject had accident.

According to Udu Unit CDHR boss, the Principal said he took over from his predecessor since two years ago, adding that it has been the predecessor paying from his pocket before he took over the school since December, 2020.

The Udu Unit CDHR boss quoted the Principal as saying: “Yes that is the procedure I met on ground. l came in two years ago (2020). My predecessor has been the one paying the private literature teacher fifteen thousand naira a month to teach Senior Secondary One (SS1).”

Comrade (Amb) Agberen quoted the Principal as saying he (Principal) has to continue with the process to salvage the situation, adding that so far, he (new Principal) has paid from his pocket the months of December,2020 to February, 2021, a situation which is overbearing on his income.

Comrade (Amb) Agberen said it was due to this overbearing in the Principal’s income hence each student is asked to pay the sum of one hundred and fifty naira (#150.00) to enable the teacher in question to continue to teach the students.

While commending the previous and the present Principals for footing the bill of the private literature teacher for the past two years to salvage the situation, Comrade (Amb) Agberen called on state Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education headed by Hon. Patrick Ukah to take urgent steps to employ teachers to save the education sector from collapse

He said: “Quality education is a basic right of every child in the state and therefore it is asurd to deprive him/her from learning as that negates the ‘Stronger Delta’ of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa-led administration.”

Comrade (Amb) Agberen said teachers should not only be employed but be motivated to put in their best for effective teaching and learning to take place.

Comrade (Amb) Agberen also called on the state government through the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education to employ the assistance of Civil Society groups that can quarterly go round public schools to know some of the challenges public schools’ heads/students are facing to channel same to the appropriate authority for effective teaching and learning to take place.