June 11, (THEWILL) – There was drama in Bayelsa State on Monday, following the surprise tour of schools located in rural areas in Yenagoa Local Government Area to inspect facilities, as well as teaching and learning in the schools.
The tour, which was led by the State Commissioner for Education, Dr Gentle E. Emelah and the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Education, Mr Okene Simon-Peter, to four schools, led to the discovery that most of the teachers, heads of schools, and principals were engaged in alleged truancy.
Also on the Education Commissioner’s delegation were Mr Faith Ogbara, Head of Procurement of the Ministry of Education, Mr Oweilayefa Akuna, Acting Director of Secondary Ministry of Education, and technical partners of the Bayelsa Prime Project.
When the delegation arrived at Community Secondary School Ikolo, at about 9:30 Am, no teacher was found on duty, and it was confirmed by students that this was the situation in the last few weeks.
The Education Commissioner, Dr Emelah, immediately expressed displeasure with the negative report, as the school facilities had been abandoned by the principal and staff for weeks, describing it as a disservice to the state.
In reaction, the Education Commissioner pronounced the immediate suspension of the Principal, Mr Moses Oguro Monday, for three months without salary indefinitely for gross negligence and misconduct.
In a related development, Mr Agah Somfieme, a casual Mathematics teacher found on duty, was automatically offered employment as a Mathematics Teacher by the Honourable Commissioner, having been a casual teacher since 2017 with a good record of attendance as testified by the students.
Dr Emelah directed all teachers of CSS Ikolo to report to the Ministry of Education on Wednesday, June 12, 2024, for sanctions, describing the level of neglect as unacceptable, even when suitable teachers’ quarters have been provided by the government to meet the teachers’ accommodation needs.
At Bomoundi-gbene and Bebelebiri, Dr Emelah visited Community Primary School Bomoundi-gbene and St Andrew Primary School Bebelebiri. He charged the head teachers to work diligently to improve the enrollment of pupils to ensure no child is out of school during learning hours.
At Community Secondary School Yenaka, where the exercise terminated, the Honourable Commissioner frowned at reports of some truant teachers threatening government officials, who cautioned them on their absence from school.
Stating emphatically that moving forward, any report of such will not be treated lightly by the government. “The inspection exercise is not to witch-hunt any teacher, but everybody should do the right thing”, he added.
Dr Emelah used the medium to charge inspectors of the Post Primary Schools Board (PPSB) and the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) to live up to expectations, as the government will not condone any form of truancy from teachers moving forward.
Observations made by the Honourable Commissioner at some schools visited ranged from inadequate chairs and dilapidated structures, which he assured the prosperity Government will act swiftly by providing more chairs where needed and carrying out renovations where needed.
Amos Okioma is a Correspondent at THEWILL
