13th August, 2013
JETHRO IBILEKE/Benin
The verification of certificates of primary school teachers in the southern Nigerian state of Edo ordered by Governor Adams Oshiomhole has begun to yield startling results, with the discovery of a female teacher who could not read a sworn affidavit tendered with her documents.
The embarrassing discovery was made at Asologun Primary School, Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area, Benin City when Mrs Augusta Odemwinge could not read a sworn affidavit she tendered as part of her credentials.
Governor Oshiomhole who paid an unscheduled visit to the State Staff Training Centre, venue of the exercise, was appalled that a teacher could not read, saying “if you can’t read, what do you teach the pupils, what do you write on the board?”
On arrival at the centre, the governor took time to peruse some of the teacher’s credentials and documents presented.
Trouble started when Mrs. Odenwingie took her turn for the exercise. The governor asked her to read the affidavit she presented.
To the consternation of everybody present, the teacher began to stutter as she read the affidavit as if a kindergarten were learning to read.
Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers NUT, Comrade Ikosimi who described Mrs Odemwingie failure as an embarrassment, said the Union endorsed the state government move to sanitise the school system.
“We are committed to partnering with the government to reposition Education in the state. What this teacher has just displayed is a show of shame, it shows the decadence in the education sector.
“As the chairman of NUT, I have written to the governor that we are in total support of what he is doing. He should properly involve the NUT so that together we can fish out the culprits who are not viable as far as the system is concerned,” he said.