Special Report: Shortage of Teachers, Dilapidated Classrooms Induce Withdrawal Of Pupils In Osun Public School

WITH the intervention and efforts of both federal and state governments in the education sector, much still required to be done especially in schools at the rural areas. The infrastructure and human resource interventions of successive governments in education, as noted by OSUN DEFENDER, is always focused on schools at the urban areas, leaving the schools in rural areas in their sorry state.

Public schools in the rural areas are at disadvantage as the challenges facing them are enormous. They range from poor learning environment, dilapidated buildings and shortage of teachers.

Some of these challenges, as gathered by OSUN DEFENDER, have immensely contributed to the number of out-of-school children in Osun State and Nigeria as a whole.

A visit to St. Anthony R.C.M Primary School, Igbajo, Boluwaduro Local Government of Osun State, is a confirmation of the deteriorating condition of public schools in rural areas. Learning activities have fallen below 20 per cent as there is an acute shortage of teachers in the school.

The medium gathered that the school with over 100 pupils of Pry 1-6 was operating with just one teacher and a headmistress. This was in addition to the absence of conducive classroom. It was also observed that there was no good furniture for the pupils to sit. It was gathered that Pry 1 and 2 pupils were sitting in the same classroom while Pry 3 and 4 were also combined in same classroom. Only Pry 5 and 6 have a class of their own. The only teacher, according to findings, teaches Pry 1-4 pupils while the headmistress teaches Pry 5 and 6 pupils. This, according to sources, has led to mass withdrawal of pupils to private schools.

According to a source at St. Anthony Primary School, Igbajo, series of letters have been written to the state government through the Local Inspection Authority (LIA) on the condition of the school, but nothing has been done yet.

One of the letters seeking the assistance of the government through Osun State Universal Basic Education (SUBEB), dated October 18, 2023 was sighted by OSUN DEFENDER.

Shortage of teachers in Osun public schools is an identified challenge that needed to be addressed. It would be recalled that Governor Ademola Adeleke, through an Executive Order on November 28, 2022 terminated the appointment of about 1500 teachers recruited by his predecessor, Mr Adegboyega Oyetola.

In August 2023, the state Commissioner for Education, Dipo Eluwole, during a press conference announced the readiness of the Adeleke’s led administration to embark on fresh teachers’ recruitment. But the process is yet to commence.

Reacting on the conditions of public schools in the state, the Chairman of Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in the State, Comrade Muritala Fatade, said the shortage of teachers in public schools will continue to contribute to numbers of out of school children.

Fatade, in an interview with OSUN DEFENDER on Wednesday, noted that there was shortage of teachers in public schools in both rural and urban areas.

According to Fatade, though the case of rural areas was worse, but there’s shortage of teachers in the urban areas as well.

He disclosed that no schools in the urban areas have Assistant Headmaster, which amount to shortage of teachers.

The NUT Chairman said: “We have been telling the government since inception that they inherited shortage of teachers and lack of infrastructure but they promised to intervene. We applaud the government of Adeleke for the job they’re doing.

“In the urban areas, where we have headmaster or headmistress, we should have an assistant who will fit in when the HM is unavailable. As I’m speaking, there is no assistant HM in schools in the urban areas which amount to shortage of teachers. When we came into the Civil Service, we do have two HM in schools in the urban areas. 

“But I’m a witness that the government is doing their possible best to recruit more teachers in the public primary and secondary schools. I witnessed such a meeting last month.

“Definitely, where there’s no good environment for learning, the pupils or students won’t be motivated to go to school. And believe me, these children will go home to report to their parents.

“These will allow parents to stop sending their children to school or students will not get to school when they already know there is no teacher to teach them.”