The National Association of Delta Ijaw Students, NADIS, has decried the poor level of infrastructure littered across primary and secondary schools across riverine areas in the state.
The students particularly lamented over the poor state of infrastructure across public schools in Ijaw communities in Delta State.
President of NADIS, Comrade Festus Ayigo, stated this when he led a delegation in a courtesy call to the Executive Director, Planning, Research and Statistics on the board of the Delta Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, Comrade Shedrack Agediga, on Saturday in Warri, Delta State.
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“The average primary and secondary school in our areas have infrastructure problems and understaffing.
“Pupils are faced with the challenge of inadequate teachers in our schools. In the past, corps members augmented the lapse, these days, they don’t get posted to our areas,” Ayigo lamented.
He noted that the visit is just one among many consultative visits across Ijaw leaders towards making a better case for education in coastal communities.
He further stressed that NADIS was set to hold a press conference aimed at creating awareness for students and youths in Ijaw areas to effectively involve in the 2023 general elections.
In his response, Agediga pointed out that the issues highlighted by the body were well known to every Ijaw leader as they were not new.
Agediga, who described the issue of understaffing as an “endemic”, blamed the plight of the areas on the nonchalant attitude of Ijaws employed by the government to work in the affected areas, adding that the situation has grown worse in recent years.
“All of these are known issues and known challenges. The question is why do we lack teachers? The answers is known.
“A lot of our people are in the education boards of primary and secondary schools, who were posted to our areas, but you won’t find them in their duty posts.
Agediga charged the group to challenge the basic and higher education commissions to hold teachers posted to the affected areas, who are found wanting accountable.
“Challenge the government of Delta State to provide the number of Ijaw teachers under its employment. We cannot have so many Ijaw people employed as teachers and we are lacking teachers. Let’s start with our
Using Sokebolou as an example, he explained that many communities in riverine areas have long resorted to employing their own teachers to fend for public schools.
“In Sokebolou, the community spends a lot of money paying teachers. More than 60% of teachers are employed by the community and it has been like that for years. Most times, the community go the extra mile to get corps members,” he said.
Continuing, he called for the body to do a proper sampling of schools in the areas, and take the message to all Ijaw leaders in a bid to salvage the situation.
On infrastructure, Agediga disclosed that the DESOPADEC has contributed and will continue to work towards giving most of the schools a face lift.
He further challenged the group to get effectively involved in the forthcoming general elections with the right mindset and approach, while pledging his unalloyed support to the affairs and growth of education.
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