By Ibrahim Kilani, Ikare Akoko.
Reactions and comments are now trailing the recent directives by the Ondo state Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu which ordered vice principals and assistant headteachers of schools in the state to go back to classrooms.
The government stated that the directive is an interim or temporary measures to reduce acute of teachers in public schools.
Stakeholders in Akoko area of Ondo state who spoke with our correspondent expressed divergent views on the educational policy statement of the governor.
A retired principal Alhaji Jimoh Ayegboka condemned the statement in a strong term saying if care is not taken educational system might collapse in Ondo state.
The educationist said the vice principals in schools had roles to play different from teaching to make school administration successful.
According to him many of these vice principals and assistant headteachers had been teaching for over two or three decades, adding that going back to classrooms to handle chalk might demoralize them.
In the same vein, a former chairman Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) in Akoko northwest local government area of Ondo state, Pastor Gabriel Oloye said the pronouncement came as an embarrassment to him.
We were expecting massive recruitment of young and energetic teachers considering the rate at which older ones are retiring.
Oloye noted that health and education sectors are dealing with lives and government must not allow the two sectors experience shortage of manpower.
A parent from Erusu Akoko, Mr Edward Oladeinde disclosed that parents had done a lot of sacrifices to bailout schools from shortage of teachers by paying for adhoc teachers on critical subjects.
He urged government to have a rethink about this problem and give priority to the recruitment of younger teachers that will replace the retired ones.
Study @ Achievers University
