As schools are reopening following the seven months forced lockdown by the Coronavirus (COVID-19), the Human Development Intiative (HDI) has called for teachers’ empowerment and retooling to upskill their pupil-teacher ratio and the over all school management system post Covid-19.
The group at a sensitisation programme held during the week at Ireti Owoseni Primary School, Badia School Complex, Ojora, Lagos for stakeholders in the basic education subsector, said it was important teachers’ get retrained to keep touch with modern realities of teaching.
Appealing to government to increase its workforce and look into the welfare of teachers to boost learning, the group stressed that it was counter productive to match teachers with many pupils than they can handle.
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“We want to encourage the government to support and empower more teachers, give them palletives, training and retraining,” said Johnson Ibidapo, the project coordinator, HDI.
According to Ibidapo, HDI is appealing to the Lagos State government to employ more teachers to reduce the current level of pupil-teachers ratio in the state, eapecially at the basic education level.
“…for teachers to be caring for 120 students everyday, that teacher might not know when a student is not in school. Fine, the teacher is paid to teach but that does not mean they should have more students than they can handle.
“Recently I went to a school and discovered that non-academic staff are teaching, I’m not condemning it but things have to be done properly, if the qualified teachers are enough we don’t need non-academic staff to be teaching,” said Ibidapo.
HDI noted that while government plays its part in ensuring condusive learning environment and teachers’ welfare, parents should ensure enrollment of their children or wards in school.
It also called on community based groups, religious leaders, community leaders, parents and individuals to partner with government in reporting shady deals and ensure that awarded school projects are properly carried out.
