Until a few months ago, the topical issue in my State
– Edo – usually centred on the beautification of major towns in the State. The story-line appears to have changed as a new topic has since taken over. These days, the matter of the moment is the directive of the State Government to teachers to produce their primary school certificates.
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So, what makes the directive so significant? Should a teacher – a person who is trained to train others –
find it hard to produce evidence of his qualification?
Any analyst who thinks the issue is a simple one
would no doubt be amazed to hear stories of how Edo teachers have some time now been running from 'pillar to post' in search of their basic certificates. If so, how were they in the first instance assessed, appointed and placed on their respective salary grade levels?
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The stories on the certificate issue are numerous.
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To some teachers, the issue is no more than political
vendetta because in their own view, many teachers
were not well disposed to the re-election bid of the
Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole in the July
14, 2012 Governorship elections in the State. That sounds incredible considering that the Governor reportedly won the election in all the local government areas in the State including the traditional strong-holds of the opposition.
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Oshiomhole...taking his time.
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Would it not be absurd for him to seek to penalize
the few persons who may not have voted for him?
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To this question, there is a rather humorous answer
by one teacher who alleges that the Governor himself has no genuine academic qualification hence he evolved the current operation show your certificate to prove that even teachers are not better than him. If not, why, the teacher asked, is the Governor more interested in the primary school certificates of teachers who are mostly National Certificate of Education (NCE) holders and university graduates?
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Another teacher complained that many of his
colleagues have no rest of mind these days as the
Governor and his Commissioners now operate like
spies monitoring the movement of teachers so as to
dismiss them with the slightest excuse.
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Interestingly, the rat and cat game between the
teachers and their Governor appears to be a good
omen because it has served as a wake-up call for
teachers in our public schools to become more alive
to their responsibilities. Oh yes, for longer than
makes sense, many teachers have shown crash
irresponsibility in their general disposition; acting as
teachers by profession and as entrepreneurs by
occupation.
I just hope things get to back to the way they were before. That has to happen for the development of the state.