Fear of WASSCE failure grips Osun over teachers’ strike

Anxiety is in the air in Osun State as its teachers continue their strike, FEMI MAKINDE and FOLASHADE ADEBAYO report

The strike embarked upon by teachers in public primary and secondary schools in Osun State is giving many stakeholders, especially pupils, who are to sit the forthcoming May/June West African Senior School Certificate Examination, a cause for concern.

Of course, stakeholders have every reason to worry over the industrial action that started last November. After all, the state was on the 22nd position in the last May/June WASSCE when its teachers did not go on strike.

While calling the attention of the state government to what it calls the lack of “quality control and welfare for teachers”, the Nigeria Union of Teachers had embarked on a 14-day strike last month. However, the action, which ended on Tuesday, yielded no fruits, a development that has prompted the union to declare another seven-day strike on Wednesday.

The NUT had accused the government of not providing schools with grants, especially examination grants, among other issues, in a statement to announce the commencement of the strike.

According to the NUT Principal Secretary in the state, Mr. Muhammed Abudulahi, the union resorted to the strike option in order to register their grievances on what they described as neglect of the sector.

Aside from the non-provision of running and examinations grants, the NUT also cited non-provision of teaching textbooks and non-payment of leave grants to its members since December 2013.

The statement read, “The development has hindered effective performance of teachers in the classroom as principals and head teachers have been running the schools with their salaries.

“We appeal to the government to look into our demands urgently to avert an indefinite strike that could mar the education sector in the state. The union has been considerate in its approach to the matter and the union may not be left with no option but to embark on indefinite strike if these issues are not addressed.”

The NUT national leadership, under the superintendence of Mr. Michael Alogba, also appears to be supporting the local chapter.

Alogba said, “You and I know the level of WAEC performance and the standard of education these days. Before you know it, people would begin to blame the instructors for the failure. But the educational materials to teach these pupils are lacking. The Osun State Government last week asked heads of schools to come from all over the state to Osogbo, the state capital, to collect three packets of chalk per school.

“What do we expect by way of performance if people are still struggling over packets of chalk at this time of the year? NUT feels we should not compromise the future of these children.”

Even as the NUT makes these claims, there appears to be division in the ranks of the academic community in the state. The strike, which initially, had the support of all the teachers in the state, later saw some of their colleagues declaring the action as unnecessary.

For instance, teachers under the aegis of the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools asked its members to back out from the strike.

The state coordinator of ASUSS, Mr. Kunle Obawole, who issued a statement condemning the action, said the NUT leaders did not consider the financial constraints on the path of the government, especially the steady decline in allocations from the federation account.

He said, “The strike called by the NUT is unnecessary considering the dwindling allocation of the state. There is no basis for teachers to embark on the strike because the interest of the pupils should be more important than the personal gains of the teachers.

“Teachers should also consider the interest of final year pupils preparing for the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination. This type of strike will definitely affect their performance, especially in public examinations.”

However, the division in the ranks of the teachers is viewed in some quarters as a divide-and-rule tactic employed by the government. For the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state, Alhaji Gani Olaoluwa, the Aregbesola-led administration is only paying lip service to the education sector.

He noted that the strategy might have negative effects on the future of the pupils.

He added, “It is now evident that the education policies and programmes of Governor Rauf Aregbesola are a mere selfish agenda, which aims at enriching his immediate family alone. Aregbesola has mortgaged the future of Osun schoolchildren with all his self-entred programmes, such as the Opon Imo, which was awarded to his son.’’

Olaoluwa added that the ongoing strike has again shown that Aregbesola and the APC have nothing good to offer the people of the state.

The PDP chieftain explained that the attempt by Aregbesola to polarise teachers through the formation of Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools was to rubbish the strike called by the NUT, the umbrella body of all teachers in the country.

However, the governor’s media aide, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, when contacted, said the government had been meeting with NUT leaders with a view to resolving the imbroglio.

He promised to reach out to the Deputy Governor, Mrs. Titi Laoye-Tomori, who doubles as the Commissioner for Education, to get a feedback on the steps already taken.

Meanwhile, the deputy governor, while receiving Mathematical kits from the National Mathematical Centre, made a tacit comment on measures being put in place to resolve the crisis.

She said, “When Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola came into power in 2010, only three per cent of pupils who sat for final year examinations in the state’s public schools scored credit in five subjects and above. But 19.7 per cent scored five credits and above in the recently released WASSCE results. We are striving to do better.”

She also used the occasion to defend the reclassification of schools in the state, saying the policy would turn around the performance of pupils in public examinations.

Laoye-Tomori said a committee was already in place to address challenges confronting education in the state with a view to fashioning out ways of having no less than 95 per cent of public school pupils scoring five credits and above in their final year examinations.

But some of the parents, who spoke on the strike, expressed dismay over the lingering issue.

Mr. Rasak Adewale, whose son is a final year pupil at the Osogbo Grammar School, told one of our correspondents that the strike could spoil the goodwill of the governor. He noted that although there was shortfall in the Federation Allocation to states, it did not affect only Osun State.

According to him, the governor needs to resolve the crisis urgently because the pupils considering that they lost some weeks because of the Ebola Virus Disease scare.

He said, “The governor has done well in some sectors. He cannot fix the entire problems but education needs priority. What do you expect the teachers to use to teach if items, such as chalks are not available?

“You do not except that the teachers would use their salaries to buy chalks. It is not possible. If care is not taken, this strike will affect final year pupils who will write the next WASSCE and the SSCE in 2015.”

A head teacher, who craved anonymity, also called on the state government to ensure the provision of infrastructure in schools.

He said, “Most schools in the state are in a deplorable condition. The new schools built by the government are not enough. There are only two new elementary schools in Osogbo Local Government Area. The schools are at Okefia and Isale-Agbara. There is also only one middle school in Olorunda Local Government Area. This is grossly inadequate. We do not have chairs and textbooks, it is that bad.”

Another parent, Mr. Adeoye Ogunlade, said the government could cut down on certain things but not toying with the future of the children.

Ogunlade said that the current security challenge facing the nation was caused by neglect of education, adding that doing the same in Osun might pose a great danger in the future.