Wadata Media and Advocacy Centre (WAMAC), an NGO with the support of MacArthur Foundation in a Town Hall Meeting aimed at amplifying the Fight Against Corruption and to Promote Good Governance with a Theme: “TEACHER ABSENTEEISM IN EBONYI STATE’S PUBLIC SCHOOLS: ROLE OF COMMUNITIES IN ADDRESSING THE MENACE”, held on the 11th May 2024 at Ryan Hotel and Suites, Onwe Road, Abakiliki, Ebonyi State called for collective efforts in professional teaching.
Participants were drawn from the Media, Civil Society Organizations, and People with Disabilities (PWD’s), Market Women Association, Community Based Organizations, Faith Based Organizations, Students, Tertiary educations lecturers and proprietors as well as The Nigerian Police Force. Officials of Ebonyi State Basic and Tertiary Education, All Nigeria Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS) and other critical stakeholders.
After presentations and discussions on the theme of the Town Hall Meeting, the following resolutions were made to fast-tract the Fight Against Corruption and promotes Good Governance through Community Participation as follows: –
The Town Hall meeting has identified lack of effective supervision and monitoring of schools and teachers in Ebonyi state as the reasons for the absenteeism of teachers in classrooms and called on the State Universal Education Board (SUBEB) and Secondary Education Board to step up mechanism that will improve learning and stop corruption in the system
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Participants frown at lack of accountability, misconduct and maladministration in the education sector in Ebonyi state and called on all stakeholders and governments to take urgent steps to stop the corruptly punitive attitudes of public servants on teachers.
The meeting calls for an increase in welfare package and remuneration for Teachers as well as an improved infrastructures in schools to be more conducive environment in learning processes to curtail corruption as well as absenteeism in the education sector and various strata of the larger society to address the menace of corruption.
The Town Hall Meeting in Ebonyi State, describes ‘Absenteeism of Teachers in Public Schools’ as a disaster and threat to education development in Ebonyi state and calls for teachers’ empowerment through grants to boost their morale and enhance their productivity to teach in classrooms.
The Town hall identified behavioural change as a core necessity to fight corruption, by calling on individuals to look inwards at their attitudes in their everyday lives that may encourage corruption. Citizens were called upon to change their tendency towards corrupt practices as well.
The Town Hall Meeting also identified ‘Value Reorientation’ as a requirement for a less corrupt society.
Participants also commended the Ebonyi State government for fulfilling its promises of clearing all backlog and arrears of remunerations, pension, gratuity and urge the government to improve the condition of service for teachers in Ebonyi State.
Participants also urges the Ebonyi state government INCLUSION of special education in its educational policy revival.
The meeting advocates for a bottom up approach to address teachers’ absenteeism to end the menace through community participation to end the menace through actions of reporting of absenteeism and monitoring of schools and students.
Also the meeting advocates the use of social media to report absenteeism in schools.
The Meeting urged governments to take the lead in revamping decay in education sector by implementation and domestication of New Teachers Policy announce by the Federal Government.
Participants also urge effective ownership of schools by parents and the Community and the provision of security for the schools.
The meeting also call on the government to avoid nepotism in the recruitment of teachers.
Participants also called on the traditional and community leaders to honour dedicated teachers with traditional titles and place a due diligence check on individuals before honoring them with traditional titles to avoid corruptly exposed persons being adorned with traditional titles.
The Town Hall urged parents and teachers to work together to remedy the problem of absenteeism of teachers and students.
The Town Hall called for an Education Summit in the State.
This communique was made this day 11th May, 2024 at Abakiliki, Ebonyi state.
