– As Teachers, Parents Lament
Despite concerted efforts by the Ministry of Education to sanitize the system, reports available to our news desk indicate that some civil servants, including the Director, Owerri Zone I of the Secondary Education Management Board (SEMB) Mrs Clara Oparanozie and the former Area Education Evaluator (AEE) in Ngor Okpala Local Government Area, Madam Edith, have consistently engaged in alleged unethical conducts in addition to flouting government’s directives with impunity.
Mrs Oparanozie has consistently been accused of engaging in transfer racketeering. This, she reportedly does by conducting mass transfer of teachers, most of whom often remain in their former duty posts after “greazing” .her palm.
Some teachers who spoke to our reporter said “in the past two years, the Owerri Zone One Director has transferred some of us to different schools for at least three times, all in a bid to extort money from us and allow us to remain in our duty posts. Teachers are supposed to spend at least three or four years before they are transferred but the Director does it sometimes within one or two years, while some teachers have been in a particular schools for over five years because of the “understanding” they have with her.”
Some Principals who corroborated the assertion of the teachers said, “Mrs Oparanozie has the habit of posting teachers out of our schools without replacing them. Some of those who we are told have been transferred to our schools, most times report and do not come again for reasons we can’t explain. The funny aspect of it is that when some of us who are short of teachers request that she posts teachers to our schools, she expects us to give her money. Some of us who genuinely need teachers but refuse to give money are denied teachers while those that allegedly give her money have teachers posted to their schools, not minding the fact that they have more teachers than some of us. It has become obvious that she sees the transfer of teachers that falls under her schedule as a means of making money.”
The former AEE of Ngor Okpala Local Government Area,, Madam Edith. on the other hand has been accused by parents and Head Teachers of schools in the Local Government Area of collecting more than the approved amounts for Common Entrance and Primary six examinations, in addition to facilitating the registration and approval of sub standard private schools that constitute hazards to the lives of pupils and students in the area.
It was gathered that Madam Edith,compelled Head teachers in the area to collect between #5,000 and #6,500 for common entrance and primary six examinations instead of the sum of #2,500 approved by the state government for the examinations respectivey.
A staff of the Ministry of Education who pleaded anonymity showed this reporter a video clip where 3 three or four pupils sitting for the primary six examination in the area were sharing one question paper after paying the #6,000 the AEE compelled the Head teachers of the schools to collect and remit to her personally instead of paying the same into the state government’s TSA account, thereby denying the government of revenue.
Responding to a question the Head Teachers and school proprietors said, “if you refuse to comply with the directives of the AEEs they will indict and write negative reports about your school. Besides you know that they they are representatives of the Commissioner for Education in the LGAs, hence, one should thread carefully”
Our investigation reveals that some private schools in the area that claim to have Creche, Nursery, Primary and Secondary sections do not have up to ten teachers each, hence one teacher often handles up to four classes in the primary section and maybe one or two in the secondary section. This, according to them, puts the children, most of whom are below the ages of 9 and 10 years, at risk when they are left alone for hours without a teacher to control and supervise them.
“Some of the schools in the area are located in very unhygienic places that are worse and dirtier than poultries and piggeries. Yet the AEE who often visited and inspected the dungeons called schools looked the other way because she had been compromised”.
When contacted, for comment, the Owerri Zone One Director of SEMB, Mrs Oparanozie denied the allegations which she described as the handiwork of mischievous detractors.
When also contacted, the former AEE of Ngor Okpala LGA, Madam Edith told this reporter to go to hell and publish whatever he wishes, boasting that it will end up in the trash bin.
