IT DID not come to many as a
surprise, except those who still delude
themselves with the illusion that all is
well with Nigeria’s education system.
Without prompting, it ought to have
been clear to true patriots, who really care for
the future of this country, nay the education
system that something fundamental has
been, and is still wrong with the system.
The incessant strike by the Academic Staff
Union of Universities, ASUU is a pointer to
this ugly and sad situation. We did not need
an Adams Oshiomhole, ab nitio to reawaken
our consciousness to the grim reality, rot and
decadence that have bedeviled our education
system, stultifying it even to the point of
near collapse.
But thank goodness for Governor
Oshiomhole who was merely discharging his
electoral mandate to the good people of Edo
State when he stumbled on Mrs. Augusta
Odemwinge, who could not read her sworn
affidavit.
I have to caution here that this Edo teacher
is not to be blame, rather the system that
produced her should take a larger chunk
of the culpability. She is just being made a
scapegoat.
Indeed, there are many ‘Edo teachers’
in different strata of our national life
masquerading as bonafide workers. Has
anyone pondered momentarily to inquire
about the institution which graduated Mrs.
Odemwinge? Instead of jeering at her with
derision, we should investigate who her
teacher was, under what circumstances was
she awarded a certificate which has turned
her to a laughing stock instead of being a
meal ticket. Better still, was her inability to
read caused by the intimidating presence of
Governor Oshiomhole?
We should not lose sight of the fact that the
governor did not set out to uncover teachers
with fake certificate or unravel those of them
who could not read, but was on a mission to
flush out ghost workers in his state payroll.
Let me put it succinctly for the benefit of
readers who missed out in the unfortunate
drama that unfolded in Edo State recently.
Governor Oshiomhole, no doubt has invested
massively on construction and rehabilitation
of schools in his state. For someone who has
accomplished this feat, of course, he must
be concerned with the quality of teachers in
these schools. So determined to sanitise the
system despite scathing criticisms from some
quarters, the Edo State Government invited
1,300 primary school teachers who had
irregularities in their education certificates
and age records to appear before a verification
committee to defend themselves.
From the perspective of the governor, that
exercise was not to witch-hunt anybody,
but a concerted effort to keep Edo going
and ensure that pupils are in good hands
of teachers who are strong and competent
to stand the rigours of teaching. And on
the day of that verification of certificates
at Asologun Primary School, Ikpoba Okha
Local Government Area, Benin City, it was
a mile drama laced with surprise and shock
when a teacher, Mrs. Augusta Odemwinge
could not read a sworn affidavit she tendered
as part of her credentials.
The visibly worried Governor Oshiomhole
who paid an unscheduled visit to the state
Staff Training Centre venue of the exercise
could not hide his displeasure over what he
witnessed. Appalled that a teacher could not
read, he queried: “If you can’t read, what do
you teach the pupils; what do you write on
the board?” Chairman of the state Nigeria
Union of Teachers, Comrade Patrick Ikosimi
who was also at the screening to monitor the
exercise described the woman’s failure to
read as “an embarrassment.”
Miffed by what he witnessed, Ikosimi
pledged the resolve of the union to partner
the state government in sanitising the
school system. Hear him: “We are committed
to partnering with the government to
reposition education in the state. What
this teacher has just displayed is a show
of shame; it shows the decadence in the
education sector. As the chairman of NUT, I
have written to the governor that we are in
total support of what he is doing. He should
properly involve the NUT so that together we
can fish out the culprits who are not viable as
far as the system is concerned.”
Oshiomhole on arrival at the centre took
time to read thoroughly some of the teacher’s
credentials and documents presented.
However, when it was Mrs. Odenwingie’s
turn for the exercise, the governor listened
to her defence and asked her to read the
affidavit she presented. She stuttered and
read as if a kindergarten was learning to
read, to the consternation of those present.
The only thing she was able to pronounce
that day was her name, and it was very
embarrassing.
The ugly incident was not the first time
Oshiomhole was confronted with the
decadence in the state’s education sector.
In 2011, he had paid an unscheduled visit
to a primary school in Edo North senatorial
district and uncovered the decay which has
pervaded the Universal Basic Education in
the state.
In one of the schools, Oshiomhole
beckoned on a teacher and requested to
know his working hours. The teacher who
could not answer muttered: “I don’t know”
and later murmured “7am to 4pm sir.” The
Governor turned and asked a pupil: “Where
is your teacher? The teacher standing beside
him replied on behalf of the pupil “na me”. At
this juncture, it dawned on the governor that
he has a serious problem in the education
sector.
During an earlier audit of primary
school teachers carried out by the state’s
Information and Communications
Technology, massive falsification of age of
primary school teachers in the state public
schools was revealed. Also, the audit exposed
that 789 teachers out of 1,379 obtained their
primary school leaving certificates before
the age of 8 or 9. Governor Oshiomhole
explained that “Some of the records show
there were a few who were particularly gifted
and they finished primary school before they
were born. We found that of all our primary
school teachers, only 1,287 representing 9%
out of 14,484 teachers have proper records
in our system. 91% have various forms of
discrepancies in their records. About 1,379
teachers representing 11.5% claim that they
obtained their primary school certificates
after they had been employed as teachers.
In fact, some obtained their primary school
certificates not more than two years ago,
from the school in which they were employed
as teachers…”
From the look of things, it appears these
teachers went to Teachers’ Training College,
obtained National Certificate of Education,
NCE, before they went to primary school.
Today, it may be happening in Edo State, but
it is symptomatic of the country’s education
system. These are facts that have been well
documented, and it is not helpful to the
cause of education and the country’s resolve
to deliver quality education to our pupils if
these teething problems are not dealt with
decisively
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The Edo teacher is not to blame
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