It was a drama of sorts at the verification of certificates of Primary School teachers in Edo State yesterday as a teacher at Asologun Primary School, Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area, Benin City, Mrs Augusta Odemwinge could not read a sworn affidavit she tendered as part of her credentials.
Governor Adams Oshiomhole who paid an unscheduled visit to the State Staff Training Centre venue of the exercise was appalled that a teacher could not read, saying “if you can’t read, what do you teach the pupils, what do you write on the board?”
Chairman of the state Nigeria Union of Teachers, Comrade Patrick Ikosimi who was also at the screening to monitor the exercise said the woman’s failure was “an embarrassment”.
On arrival at the centre, the governor took time to peruse some of the teacher’s credentials and documents presented.
When Mrs. Odenwingie took her turn for the exercise, the Governor who listened to her defence asked her to read the affidavit she presented, however, she was stuttering and read the affidavit as if a kindergarten were learning to read, to the consternation of everybody around.
Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers NUT, Comrade Ikosimi who described described Mrs Odemwingie failure as an embarrassment said the union was in tune with the state government on the need to sanitise the school system.
He said: “We are committed to partnering with the government to reposition Education in the state. What this teacher has just displayed is a show of shame, it shows the decadence in the education sector.
“As the chairman of NUT, I have written to the governor that we are in total support of what he is doing. He should properly involve the NUT so that together we can fish out the culprits who are not viable as far as the system is concerned,” he said.
