An economic don and former President of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, Segun Ajibola, has told the Lagos State Government to preserve the sanctity of cooperative funds for teachers to solve the country’s economic hardship.
Ajibola disclosed this in his remark at the retirement ceremony of Yemisi Ajibola, a Lagos state teacher.
According to him, the government should streamline Eko Excellence in Child Education Learning, EXCEL, to reduce the undue pressure and stress teachers in the state undergo.
The economist said conflicting directives from different organs hurt the state education sector.
He added that the government must take it as a matter of urgency to employ more teachers in Lagos Island to close the gap.
“EKO EXCEL needs to streamline its guidelines and modus operandi to reduce the undue pressure and stress the teachers in Lagos State are subjected to. The enabling guidelines compel especially those at the Headship and Assistant Headship to work 24/7 round the year. This is unduly tasking for those affected and at the expense of their well-being.
“I observe that officials from various agencies at the federal, State and local governments conduct visitations repeatedly and on many occasions repetitively. This duplication, I believe, creates an administrative burden and increases running costs.
“The same State Government calls for inspection of the original credentials of teachers many times in one year. I wonder what use such repeated exercise is for the same agency year in and year out?
“At times, conflicting directives emanate from different organs of the StateState in charge of administering education. There is a need for harmonisation of duties and powers.
“Head Teachers and their Assistants can hardly take time off in 12 months for a deserving rest. Holiday periods are devoted to seminars and training, mostly at the expense of the teachers. Teachers were compelled to attend ‘pre-arranged’ seminars during the COVID-19 era and were asked to go about distributing food to children amidst the rampaging COVID-19 pandemic.
“Most primary schools, especially on the Island, are short of the desired number of teachers, forcing Head Teachers to turn to classes or collapse classes at the expense of quality offering.
“Teachers on the Island can hardly show up for five days a week due to the cost of accommodation and transportation. Maybe such teachers need some special allowances either for accommodation or transport fares.
The sanctity of contributions by teachers to their cooperative fund should be preserved at all times. The StateState should resist the temptation of fiddling with such funds as depriving the teachers of their contributions at the point of need will be improper and most unfair”, he said.
