The people of Opuama in Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State have cried out over the shortage of teachers and dilapidated infrastructure across the three schools in the community.
Our correspondent, upon a visit to the schools, observed classrooms with damaged ceilings and roofing sheets.
Also, pupils were sitting on broken chairs, while there were those who sat on the bare floor.
A shortage of chairs and desks was also visible across the schools.
Speaking, Chairman of the Education Committee of the Opuama community, Dr Macaulay Owen, lamented that the community continues to fund the engagement of 15 teachers in schools across the community.
He said, “Classrooms and buildings are dilapidated, and we need government attention. We also face a shortage of teachers in our schools. We have Oloduwa Primary School and Azama Primary School in the Opuama community.
“In Oloduwa Primary school, we have three government teachers and at Azama Primary school. We also have three government teachers, while in Oloduwa Secondary school, we have five teachers from JSSI to SS3. There are only five government teachers in our secondary school.
While awaiting government intervention, Owen lamented the huge cost of paying the engaged teachers monthly.
“We are short of teachers. For this reason, the community engaged almost 15 teachers in these various schools, where a minimum of N100,000 is paid monthly. This is huge for the community to continue to bear, as we know that without teachers, pupils and students cannot learn. The purse of the community is drastically drained.
“It’s a serious issue, and the government needs to provide an immediate solution. We want the government to come to our aid by employing teachers and sending them to our community. We are also aware that there are instances where the government deploys teachers who fail to report for duty, citing the community terrain as discouraging.
“Some said they cannot sleep there because it is a riverine area they are not used to. We have qualified sons and daughters who can be employed by the government, and we are sure they would not hesitate to report for work in their area that they are familiar with.”
On its efforts to address the lingering issue, Owen said that the community had formally written to the local government Chairman and the state government but still awaited a response.
Owen said, “We wrote a letter to the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, but we have not received any response. We are still expecting the government to come to our aid.”
When contacted, the Commissioner for Primary Education, Dr. Kingsley Ashibogwu, claimed that there was ongoing renovation work at the Azama Primary School.
He said, “I’m aware that there is renovation work going on at Azama Zone primary school.
“We have employed teachers, and there is a ratio of classroom teachers to pupils. We will look into it because they are now writing their exams.”
Efforts to get the reaction of the Commissioner for Secondary Education, Mrs Rose Ezewu, failed, as calls and messages sent across to her were not responded to as of the time of filling this report.
