Cash Crunch: Teachers, Students Lament Stress In Getting To School

 

Kazeem Badmus

TEACHERS and students of secondary schools in the State of Osun have lamented the hardship they go through daily in getting to their various schools as a result of the lingering scarcity of cash ravaging the country. 

The teachers and students who spoke with OSUN DEFENDER on Thursday, said the cash crunch has affected their daily allowance and transport fare, disclosing that some of them no longer go to school daily again.

They said they don’t have cash to pay for transport fare everyday.  

A teacher at Adedayo Karim group Of School, OgoOluwa, Osogbo, Kingsley Odewole, while speaking with the medium, said coming to the school everyday has not been easy for him, disclosing that he trekked sometimes to his workplace. 

Odewole also revealed that the attendance of students since the cash crunch began has not been regular. 

He said: “The student’s daily attendance reduces most of the time due to the cash crisis. 

“We the teachers are also bearing the brunt of the scarcity of naira but as you know, we must get to school by all means but it has not been easy at all”.

A teacher at Community Grammar School Okua, Odo Otin Local Government area who preferred anonymity, told the medium that people in the rural area were seriously affected by the cash crunch.

According to her, getting cash has become so hard in Okua, saying there was no bank in Okua and neighbouring towns. 

She added that the Point of Sales agents in the area was not sufficient to address the need of the people. 

She said: “Not just the students, even we the teachers are finding it hard to survive, let alone the parents. Most of the students have stopped coming to school. 

“Some will come and says they haven’t eaten anything since morning.  Parents are complaining bitterly, even we teachers have no cash at hand”.

Speaking with OSUN DEFENDER, a student of Christ Africa Grammar School, Aregbe area, Osogbo, Grace Adegbola, stated that she has not been going to school regularly since the cash crisis began. 

The JSS 2 student who said she was living with her grandmother at Badmus Street, Baruwa area, Osogbo noted that though she trekked down to school, the pocket money her grandmother always gave her has reduced. 

“Before the issue of cash scarcity, my grandmother used to give me N200 for my feeding and pocket money but since the issue of cash crunch came up, it has been difficult for her to even give me N50. Sometimes, I go to school empty-handed”, she stated. 

Grace added that some of her classmates, especially those leaving in far areas, have been skipping classes since the scarcity of cash came up. 

Omowumi Babawale, a student of Ataoja School of Science, Osogbo, in her submission, said she had missed classes many times due to the scarcity of funds.

Babawale said: “There are times I have to skip school just because my parents couldn’t provide for my transport fare. 

“I remember when I had to go to different POS operators to get money for my transport fare to school but unfortunately, I couldn’t get any cash and I had to skip school those days”.

She further stated that there were times her mother borrowed N200 from their neighbours, just to provide her with transport fare.