Chairman of Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools in Ogun state, Dr Felix Agbesanwa tells DAUD OLATUNJI what the union is doing to address the attacks on teachers by pupils in the state, following the assault on a teacher at Isanbi Comprehensive High School, Ilisan-Remo, in the Ikenne Local Government Area of the state by some pupils on July 25, 2023
What is your reaction to the reported assault of a public schoolteacher in the Ikenne Local Government Area of Ogun State by pupils for stopping one of them from cheating in an examination?
The beating of teachers is uncalled for, irrespective of what the teachers might have done to the pupils. It is abnormal. It is abysmal. It is unethical and unheard of in a setting where normal human beings live. Irrespective of what the teachers might have done, the beating of teachers by pupils should be condemned by all and sundry. Because some incidents were kept away from the public, I cannot say the actual number of those that are affected but, for record purposes, they are many. I don’t want to mention just a figure. There are more than 10 that have been assaulted.
It has been happening for a long time, that is why the government came up with the issue of undertakings, that pupils returning to school must have signed an undertaking with their parents. It (undertaking) has reduced the level of hooliganism in the schools and it will continue to work because anytime any pupil errs according to the undertaking, the law will take its course.
What report did you receive regarding the latest incident at Ilisan-Remo?
It happened in Ilishan Comprehensive High School where some SS1 pupils were reported for beating a teacher after the examination on July 18. We learnt that the teacher did not allow them to cheat during the examination. They got annoyed and threatened that they would beat the teacher and they beat him. When I got to the school, a teacher confided in me that a set of pupils went to the school in the afternoon and went to where the victim was marking the exam papers. They shouted at him and threw stones at him where he was sitting down because he did not allow them to cheat.
What is the union doing about it?
I have made our stand known. It will not be swept under the carpet because what is worth doing at all is worth doing well. I remember when I met with the governor last February. I told him that we appreciated him for what he had done and I appealed to him that the law should take its course when a pupil raises his hands against a teacher. We thank God that the government has upheld the decision and when we met the former Commissioner for Education, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, I made it known to him and others in the ministry that we would not fold our arms when a pupil beats our member. I must appreciate the Chairman of the Teaching Service Commission, Olamilekan Ifede, who insisted that pupils involved should face the penalty. I think the commissioner directed that the pupils be charged in court.
Where are the pupils now?
They were taken into police custody in Ilishan. Those that are below the age of 17 were taken to remand homes while those above 18 were taken to a correctional centre in Sagamu, and they are waiting for the case to be heard again in the court.
Have you been under pressure from parents not to send their children to a correctional facility?
Pressure from parents? They know the kind of person I am; they know my stand and I don’t hide it. I’m not afraid to tell anybody that cares to listen. If a pupil does something wrong, let them be punished. I told them at the school where the incident happened. I taught in the school for more than 10 years. The school is notorious for such an action.
It appears the unwholesome behaviour by pupils has persisted, despite efforts by your union to stop it. What has the state government failed to do to make teachers get the respect they deserve?
The government itself has been preaching against hooliganism, indiscipline and the rest, so, we can’t blame the government on this one. The government has no blame at all. The home is the basic thing, and when it fails, society fails. So, when they fail to discharge their duties, they should be ready to face the penalty of the law.
When you train your child very well, your child would do what is right to make sure that it brings glory and honour to your home. How can you tell me that a child would raise his hands to beat any teacher anyhow? Is that not madness? We can’t allow that to continue. The truth of the matter is this: when you don’t train your child very well, it is the lack of home training and pressure group influence. Today’s pressure groups are always making sure that things are not done in a good way.
Some stakeholders believe that teachers are partly responsible for the behaviour of pupils through the way they interact with them. Is this something you are aware of?
Irrespective of whatsoever any teacher might have done, it doesn’t warrant any reasonable pupil to raise their hands against a teacher. Charity begins at home. What would have caused a pupil to raise their hands against their teacher? Don’t forget that teachers are parents at school. Let me tell you; our teachers are disciplined. We have new teachers in our system. Most of them know the consequences of their actions.
How worried is the union about cultism in secondary schools in Ogun?
We are very worried. Cultism is in primary and secondary schools today. Our union frowns at it, and it is part of what we told the government. Any pupil caught in the act of cultism should face the wrath of the law because we are not breeding cultists. We are breeding pupils and any teacher caught being a godfather to cultists should be dismissed, and we have made our stand known to the government, that all their benefits and entitlements should be ceased. That’s our stand as a union because we were told that some teachers are breeding them underground.
The dearth of manpower in public primary and secondary schools is a lingering problem in Nigeria. How is ASUSS dealing with it in Ogun?
We are worried about the shortage of teachers. I say it anytime we meet with the government. We are appealing to them to help us recruit more teachers. Teachers are retiring and leaving the system. Some have died yet the workload is increasing. What we want is the employment of more hands and the government has promised us that the Ogun interns it employed as teachers two years ago will be given permanent employment in September. So, we are eagerly expecting the government to do that so that the workload can be reduced.
How many teachers do you think the state needs in public schools?
We need up to 5,000 or 6,000 teachers and we trust the government of Dapo Abiodun; he has made us know that at the right time, he will employ more hands, and we trust him.
What is your take on the issue of rejection of transfer to rural areas by teachers?
There is what we call a rural allowance for every teacher that is posted to rural areas. So, what we are doing is we have been talking to the state government and letting it know that for any teacher that is posted to rural areas, the rural allowance must be given to them. It can’t keep paying N500 as a rural allowance because our money has lost its value. N10,000 today will buy what N2,000 bought yesterday. So, we appeal to the government to pay double the rural allowance, and if teachers are paid very well, I think they will stay.
With the rising cost of living occasioned by the removal of the fuel subsidy, why does the union stand on the number of days to work?
The price of fuel has been increased to N610 or N618 per litre, there is no way our teachers can go to work every day. That’s the truth. Some live far away from their schools. We are appealing to the government to please make the palliative available. That’s the only thing that can cushion the effect. We need to begin online teaching. If the government can embrace it, teachers can work from home and pupils can learn.
Do you know that some teachers now sleep in their schools, so that they can meet up with the needs of the system? Some trek to schools. Some, to avoid being sanctioned for lateness to work, have turned their vehicles to a living room. They park their vehicles in the school. This is where we found ourselves. So, our appeal to the government is this: they should consider what organised labour has told them about the minimum wage policy.
But, we know as of now, the government has approved the promotion exercise for teachers, which we did in February.
The government said that it approved the allowance for March and April, and we are still trusting that it will be released any time soon.
What can teachers in Ogun do to cope with the current economic situation?
Teachers should take care of their health. The rate at which teachers are dying is disturbing. It is when you are healthy that you can teach. They should reduce their cooperative deduction. Some teachers belong to four or five cooperative societies. This should be stopped. It is what you use your money to eat that will make you live long. If you say you are spending everything you have on your children, those children you’re spending money on will succeed and you will die. So, health is wealth. Teachers should eat good food except when they are fasting. They should rest when they need to not let the issue of staggered salary, non-cooperative payment, or deduction be on their minds. High blood pressure is responsible for the deaths of many teachers. Don’t think about what you can’t control.
There have been calls for an end to the use of corporal punishment in schools. Do you support it?
The policy of not beating pupils has worsened the case, but we don’t blame the government that says we should not beat pupils, because some teachers also go to the extreme by inflicting injuries on their pupils. As a pupil, I was beaten when I did what was wrong. I remembered then, my parents would tell my teacher to beat me with a whip when I did anything wrong.
It is the absence of corporal punishment that makes pupils think they are above the law and others. I support disciplining pupils with whips, but it should be done in a very decent way because when you beat a student, there must not be any injury. As a teacher, you correct in love, not in hatred.
