According to Wikipedia, a teacher is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence or virtue. Informally the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone. Wikipedia
According to a number of sociological surveys, university professors generally rank high in public estimation, comparable to medical doctors, lawyers, owners of large business and industrial establishments, bankers, and officials of national government.
- On a scale ranging from 1 (high) to 7 (low), a university professor is ranked 1 in most countries and 2 in others.
- A secondary-school teacher is generally ranked 2 or 3 on the same scale, sharing the level with journalists, clergy, business managers, accountants, insurance agents, real-estate or land agents, and substantial landowners.
- A primary-school teacher is generally ranked 3 or 4 on the 7-point scale, on the same level occupied by social workers, office managers, bank clerks, small independent farmers, and foremen. Britannica
Political Game: Now You Know That Edo is Not Lagos
I received the news of teachers being asked to sweep, cut grasses and fix tyres to decorate School compounds in preparation for the Scheduled resumption of Students in JSS 3 and SS2 with utter dismay and was practically debased.
In fact, my emotions betrayed me and I wept profusely for the teaching profession.
Teachers in the good old days were well respected, to the extent that the society revered and held teachers in very high esteem. Today’s reality is a sad view contrast to those days.
No nation grows beyond the quality of its teachers. When teachers are debased to level of sweepers and cleaners, it speaks volume of the negative implications on the psyche and esteem of the life builders and moulders of future generations of Nigerians.
I hope it won’t degenerate to a point, when public administrators would push teachers to the wall, only to meet violent resistance.
Since the deployment of the new TG/PS for Education district III, she’s characteristically known for her draconian, authoritarian and insensitive policies.
She seems too inhuman in the way and manner she perform official functions. She has consistently reduced public office to private enterprise, her ego is well massaged in the way she treats Principals of Schools without no one asking Questions.
The digital literacy programmes she introduced enhanced teaching and learning during the lockdown no doubt, but was however greatly challenged with lack of internet access by the students.
Teachers are almost reduced to a point where best brains don’t find the profession attractive, it’s doubtful first class graduates from the universities can ever apply to join the services of the teaching commission due to the attitude of policy makers towards teachers.
Incentives that can ordinarily make the teaching profession enticing to teachers are never available, the very reason the profession seems not motivating and makes good teachers leave in drives for better opportunities.
The new TG/PS has successfully reduced the hard earned reputation of the district with her divisive and draconian policies to the level where Parents and Students now take teachers as nonentities.
We call on all well meaning Lagosians to call her to order before it gets to a point of no repair.
Anonymous