Resign if you can’t work in rural areas, Ekiti govt tells teachers

EKITI State Government, yesterday, said it would henceforth ask public primary school teachers who refuse postings to rural areas to tender their resignation.

The government, which lamented the lopsidedness of teachers in urban areas following rejection of postings to rural areas, said that it would undertake redistribution policy to correct the imbalance.

The Universal Basic Education Board ( SUBEB)

Chairman, Prof. Femi Akinwumi, said this while flagging off a five- day training programme for primary schools’ Quality Assurance Officers held at the Ikogosi Warm Spring Resort Centre, Ikogosi in Ekiti West Local Council of the state. Akinwumi said that the standard of education had improved considerably under Governor Kayode Fayemi since 2018, compared to what was obtainable during the immediate past government.

“We don’t have teachers in rural areas while they are in surplus in our cities, particularly Ado- Ekiti. This lopsidedness is a major problem and we have to embark on teachers’ redistribution. If we don’t use radical approach, we won’t go far.

“We have teachers that are sufficient in primary schools, but the question to ask is, have those teachers in the villages committed crime?

“The new policy now is either they honour the postings we are going to do or they tender their resignation. Some believe they can influence, but in this exercise, we are going to transfer those who thought they are untouchable.”

The SUBEB Chairman said productivity and efficiency were necessary ingredients for schools to perform, adding that quality assurance is required to enhance quality teaching for good performances by pupils in external examinations. “Ekiti has the best teacherpupil ratio in Nigeria, which is 1: 28. It is even 1: 14 in our rural schools. With this, we have no reason why we should not have the best results in public examinations.

“Quality assurance is the best way to achieve the best in any organisation. If we are doing much in all areas but we can’t monitor and ensure we are getting quality, then things will go wrong.”

Also, the Executive Secretary, Universal Basic Education Commission, Dr.

Hamid Boboyi, represented by the South- West Zonal Director, Dr. P. A. Oyedokun, described quality assurance as the best way to strengthen education at the primary level, being the foundation of every academic pursuit.

He said: “Effective school monitoring will boost the capacities and having these quality assurance officers will help in evaluating the performances of both pupils, teachers and schools in general for better performances.”