Teachers warn against possible education collapse

[MrVan]

BY DAYO JOHNSON

AKURE — Secondary school teachers under the auspices of Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools, ASUSS, have raised the alarm over the possible collapse of the education sector because of attitu- de of the political class.

The union also said the problem is compounded by dearth of teachers in public schools.

Its National President of the union, Mr. Charles Osaruyi, who said this during the celebration of World Teachers Day in Akure,  said the acute shortage of teachers was dangerous to the development of educa- tion in the country.

Osaruyi said: "There is an acute shortage of teachers viz-a-vis the large number of enrolment in our public schools today and this undoubtedly was occasioned by the mass renovation of schools in most states of the federation"

According to him, the explosion in schools without corresponding increase in number of teachers was dangerous for the system.

He noted that aside the renovation of schools in many states for the Federal Government's free and compulsory primary and secondary school education, most states for political reasons without adeq- uate corresponding expansion in facilities in existing schools, build more schools to accommodate the ever increasing students' population.

"Now a teacher, supervises and marks, on the average, 150-200 students' scripts in a class as against the recommended average of between 35-40 students by UNESCO."

Osaruyi said as a result of lack of interest in teaching profession a time is coming when there would not be teachers in schools.

The chairman of the union, Mr. Dayo Adebiyian also regretted that the failure of the country to develop could be blamed on the failure of the education sector.

Vanguard Nigeria

[Folami David]

Education must not collapse in our country at all.That must never happen else we're heading for doom