WikkiTimes’ Yawale Adamu tells a story of a man who operates a rural school without pay by being a teacher, headteacher, office assistant, cleaner and guard himself. He teaches Arithmetic, English, Science and Hausa.
For over seven consecutive years, a primary school in Arobana community in Misau LGA of Bauchi State has been operating at the ‘mercy’ of just one teacher who serves as everything for the school. He teaches all the subjects including Arithematic, English, Handwriting, Hausa etc. He serves as the probervial saying ‘jack of all trades, MASTER of ALL.’
Initially, it was a moment of celebration for Arobana community when their decades long dream of having a primary school in their domain finally became a reality. A primary school took off in 2016, giving the community access to a basic school for the first time in its existence.
For over 15 years, the Arobana community, situated between Misau and Giade LGA, initiated a struggle to have a primary school in the area, due to stress and threats their kids used to endure to attend school in Madakiri, the nearest village with school.
In 2016, after years of continued advocacy and follow- ups, the Bauchi State Universal Education Board (SUBEB) established Arobana Primary to cater for the basic educational needs of the kids in the community.
Yet, the school started on a weak foundation as teaching and learning started with a single teacher and zero infrastructure.
Malam Ali Nuhu Madakiri, a teacher who lives in Madakiri village, laid not just the foundation of the school but also worked tirelessly to recruit pupils and ensure they never miss going to school. After seven consecutive years of solo teaching, running administrative work, cleaning while serving as the head teacher, Malam Ali retired, leaving the school ‘teacherless’.
According to Saleh Shehu, a resident of Arobana village, a member of the committee that worked towards actualization of the community’s dream told WikkiTimes that Malam Ali used to chase pupils from their houses to attend school and the community respected that.
Shortly, a new lone teacher was deployed to the school from Misau town to succeed the retired teacher, However, their joy was cut short as the new teacher seldom reports to duty, leaving the pupils helpless.
Shehu, however, said after Malam Ali’s retirement, the new teacher hardly comes three days a week to teach their kids.
“It was a long dream for all of us to have a primary school of ours. But here we are, with the school but no teacher or conducive environment for our sons and daughters to learn. Even if the pupils wanted to learn, the teacher hardly shows up”, said Shehu.
He said the village and other surrounding villages that rely on the primary school for their kids’ educational pursuit, now watch as the children roam about the surrounding bushes picking farm harvest debris. He added that other pupils turn full time farmers on their parents’ farms.
“Before it was someone from Madakiri, a community close to us that was posted here, he was hardworking and dedicated but after he retired, a new one from Misau was posted but the truth of the matter his attendance was very poor.
“He comes once or twice a week, and this demoralizes the pupils that have the zeal of coming and their parents.This discouraged us and most pupils stopped coming”, he added.
Shehu further said despite appeals from community members and leaders to relevant authorities, the situation remained the same, expressing displeasure that the communities’ kids’ future is being ruined.
Corroborating Shehu, Ibrahim Muhammed, said it was painful seeing his children staying at home while their counterparts elsewhere are learning in school.
Muhammed said, as parents, they approached their community leader and informed him of the situation. He noted that the privileged parents shuttle their children to better schools in either Misau or Giade town.
“I feel pain seeing my children staying at home. Because even if they come to the school, no one is there to teach them. I’m afraid if the trend continues, they will grow up as illiterates”, he said angrily.
The father of three said having teachers in the school will make them send their children to be regular in attendance.
“You will not feel the pain until you travel and you are not educated. You will hate yourself more and more. Those that have the means are taking their children to private schools in Misau and Giade but we that don’t have, we have no alternative than to allow them to roam about”, he said.
Muhammed said as parents who have no formal education, they appeal for authorities to intervene for a better future for their children through education.
“We are not hoping for our children to grow up without education. We don’t envisage a situation where they will grow and be like people without a future. Education is the key to development but here we are lacking it”, added Muhammed.
Community Efforts Remain Futile
Damana Adamu, the Village Head of Arobana told WikkiTimes that their efforts as a community remains futile so far in addressing the challenges bedevilling the school.
The community leader expressed regret that their efforts to secure additional teachers to the school and his wise counsel the lone teachers have yielded no result.
“This school was full to its capacity with the children eager to learn but the reverse is the case now since he abandons the work. Even though the classroom building is yet to be completed, the children learn under the trees”.
“Nowadays he doesn’t come. Sometimes spending a month without coming. He is the only one here and the children hardly showed up because day after day they couldn’t see the teacher. So, both the parents and the children are fed up”, said Damana.
According to him, the community has raised a committee that visited local education authorities (LEA) and complained about shortage of teachers but were told to exercise patience as there is dearth of teachers across the state.
Damana further said, his repeated efforts to influence the teacher to change for the better hasn’t changed. He said failure of the authorities to supervise the teacher compounds the situation.
“Just recently I have told him to come to his place of primary assignment. I even pleaded with him to come even three times a week, but yet it yielded any result. Had it been that there were supervisors coming I think something might have happened” he confirmed.
LEA Not Aware of the Situation
When contacted, Misau local education authority (LEA) Education Secretary (ES), Bala Muhammed Akuyam told WikkiTimes that he was not aware of the situation in Arobana Primary School but promised to set up a fact-finding committee swiftly to assess the situation on ground.
He said as the new ES in the area, he has established a monitoring mechanism to ensure teachers especially in rural areas are not absconding from their work as anyone found wanting will be made to face the consequences.
“We will take necessary action on anyone found wanting. We have warned the teachers that anyone that is confirmed to be absconding from duty, his Head Master should call him to order and if it persists, there are proper channels to be followed and we will ensure that such staff is disciplined”, he added.
On the dearth of teachers, he said efforts are on by the state government to employ teachers in the state.
He partly blamed supervisors and the School Based Management Committee(SBMC)who should have reported such a situation to him but vowed to relate his findings to WikkiTimes of the situation in the school.
He enjoined members of communities to always report negligence of duty to relevant authorities through the SBMC which has a duty is to observe happenings within the school.
SUBEB to Recruit Teachers Soon
The Bauchi State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) public relations officer, Abdullahi Muhammad told to WikkiTimes Bauchi State government is working to tackle the shortages of teachers across the state not just in Arobana.
Muhammad said 3000 new teachers will be employed soon as a short-term measure to addressing the problem while some officials from the 20 LEAs who have the requisite teaching qualifications are being redeployed to classrooms to teach instead of office works that they do currently.