By Samuel Ogude
“Education is the bedrock of the society”, as it is commonly said. No doubt, it plays a lot of roles in human capital development and any nation which downplays education matters is doomed. In the education of a nation, the government at all levels, the teachers and the students/ learners themselves have parts to play. While it is agreed that informal education begins at home, the government leads the way in formal education and others follow: it establishes the schools, design the curricular through the experts in education matters, provides human and material resources, does the supervisory roles through the Ministry of Education for effective teaching and learning to take place.
This underscores the basis, like other sectors of the economy, during budgeting, it is not forgotten in a hurry as a chunk of money is allotted for its operation. However, in Nigeria in general and Delta State in particular, the case is different. It does appear that the education of the citizens in basic and secondary levels are downplayed. How? With the money budgeted for education sector, there is nothing to write home about as many of the basic and secondary schools lack human and material resources to operate despite the UBE programme.
Special thanks to two former Governors of Delta State, Governors Chief James Ibori and Dr. Ewetan Uduaghan who did not only build and renovated basic and secondary schools across the state but employed teachers to teach these learners/students and upon their exist, it was difficult to judge if the government of Governor Okowa paid attention to education as little or nothing was done as regards the building, maintenance of the existing ones neither employing teachers to man the schools and so, today, many of the schools are begging for repairs. Cases in point are Delta Model Secondary School, Warri sitting in former College of Education Warri premises in Warri South and Ugbolokposo Secondary School in Uvwie Local Government Areas of the state.
Investigations by Bailout Magazine show that many of the basic and secondary schools in the state especially in Warri and its environs lack structures(school buildings) to accommodate the ever rising number of students/ learners seeking admission into schools. Many of such schools do not only have leaking roofs , lack seats for the students to sit comfortably to learn, there are no enough teachers to teach the students/ learners, a situation which has made the various Principals of schools to employ adhoc teachers who are on their pay rolls along with the government’s few teachers who are made to teach two or more subjects. Can effective teaching and learning take place in such an environment?
Only God knows how the various Principals are able to sustain the adhoc teachers. How much is the salary of teachers in the school? It was gathered that even the schools which have seats, many of them were brought by good spirited individuals and communities to aid the schools. While it is agreed that individuals can help in this direction, the government should play major roles.
It was gathered that many of the school authorities have written to the state government through the Ministry of Education over and again but they never get assistance in this direction. While the schools administrators pass through misgivings, parents whose children who are not properly brought up by their parents that are punished for one offence or the other at school, come to school to roar on, and in extreme cases, fight teachers for daring to punish their children for wrong doing without even making an enquiry why such a child/children were punished.
Again, instead of parents sourcing for money and providing educational materials such as recommended books, school uniforms, sandals among others that would assist their children to learn at school, they look for where they can pull down the image of the schools administrators down. For instance, many parents always wag their tongues against innocent Principals that they collect illegal money from students at school when Principals abide dogmatically by the specifications laid down to them by the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education.
On the part of the students, instead of reading their books to perform well in both internal and external examinations, organize cult boys to fight school administrators just because they have been punished for committing an offence. It is such group of students that would want to involve in examination malpractices because they have failed from the start and when they denied, they want the examination cancelled. The question which many people who spoke to Bailout Magazine asked is: how much is the salary of school administrators(Principals and Teachers) for facing these challenges? Yes, it is not the salary, they are Public Servants, must they die or get all kinds of insults while building the nation in this direction?
With the resumption of schools for 2023/24 academic session across the state on Monday, 11th September, many students are back to school. The question which begs for an answer is: with what the students/learners are to learn ? It is hoped that with the power shift from Governor Okowa to Governor Oborevwori, the situation in this direction is bound to change for the better. Good enough, it is the same Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Mrs Rose Ezewu in power. It is believed by many that she has to work with the Governor to see that things are put in their places. She has started well with her welcome and admonishing message which says:”Education is not a scam, don’t be deceived ,your future lies on your today’s decision” which has been pasted on every nooks and crannies of school gates in the state.
So, if truly, students/learners are to go to school, with what facilities are they to learn? The dilapidated structures, and broken desks? It is this question that pushed Bailout Magazine to further speak with the Chairman of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, Delta State branch, Comrade Jonathan Giama who said he has also noticed this phenomenon in the schools especially in Warri in Warri South other areas in the state.
According to him, he has gone round most of these schools in the state especially in Warri and its environs saying the schools are in shambles. He said, with this new academic resumption, it would be difficult for students to learn with the school structures and facilities on ground in many schools especially the aforementioned ones. According to him, apart from the building and renovation of Basic and Secondary Schools across the state during former Governors, Chief James Ibori and Governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan, the government of Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa did little or nothing to improve Basic and Secondary education in the state.
His words:” I have personally visited Delta Model Secondary School and I discovered apart from the facts they have no good structures, the roofs of the existing structures are leaking, the ceiling boards are shattered while Ugbolokposo Secondary School is more like a primary school because, there are no structures for teachers to write/ prepare their note of lessons, no enough classrooms and seats among others for effective teaching and learning to take place”.
Comrade Giama commended RT. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori to have started on good footing by beginning a process of employing teachers to man the Basic Schools just as he appealed to him(Governor) to set up a committee to visit the schools across the state especially Warri and its environs on the spot assessment to know the state of the schools and put everything in order. He said: “I use this medium to appeal to the Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to continue with his good work by visiting the schools in the state to see the structures on ground and see what he can do to create conducive atmosphere for effective teaching and learning to take place in the schools”.
Until something is done in this regard, effective teaching and learning can not take place in the school across the state.