The declining state of its schools and the increasing teacher shortage have alarmed the Opuama community in Delta State’s Warri North Local Government Area.
The three local schools were found to be in appalling condition during a recent assessment. Due to a lack of desks and chairs, students are compelled to sit on damaged furniture or the bare floor, and many classrooms have damaged roofs and shattered ceilings.
Despite the inadequacy of public education, the community has been funding 15 volunteer instructors by disbursing over ₦100,000 each month, a load that Dr. Macaulay Owen, Chairman of the town’s Education Committee, bemoaned as becoming intolerable.
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“Only three government teachers are assigned to each of the Oloduwa and Azama Primary Schools. “All classes from JSS1 to SS3 are taught by five teachers at the secondary school,” Dr. Owen stated.
He pointed out that despite several requests, there has been no tangible response from the Delta State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education or the local government.
He claims that because of the area’s riverine terrain, some government-deployed teachers are unwilling to return to their jobs. He urged the administration to think about hiring capable locals who are willing to work and are familiar with the region.
In his remarks, Commissioner for Primary Education Dr. Kingsley Ashibogwu affirmed that Azama Primary School is undergoing renovations and promised that the issues will be examined.
At the time this report was filed, efforts to obtain feedback from Mrs. Rose Ezewu, the Commissioner for Secondary Education, were unsuccessful.
