Local council bans teachers, children from hawking during school hours

The Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area of Enugu State has re-emphasised its ban on teachers and children hawking during school hours.

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The council vowed to henceforth arrest and jail any parents whose child or ward violates the ban.

The Chairperson, Public School Supervision Committee (PSSC) of the Igbo-Etiti Local Council, Amadi Aroh said this on Friday during a meeting with education secretaries, head teachers and School-Based Management Committee (SBMC) in Ogbede.

Mr Aroh warned that the committee would no longer tolerate teachers using school hours to engage in other businesses. He asked such teachers to resign from their teaching appointments.

He blamed teachers, who were not dedicated to their duties, for the loss of trust in public schools, saying the action encouraged parents to enrol their children and wards in private schools.

While noting that most private schools were not standard, the chairperson pledged the committee’s determination to restore public schools’ lost glory and parents’ confidence in them.

According to him, the interaction with the headteachers and SBMC members aligned with the plans and vision of the Igbo-Etiti Council Chairperson, Eric Odo, on education, which must be achieved.

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He said the PSSC was not interested in witch-hunting any teacher or head teacher, adding, however, that it would not hesitate to sanction anyone found wanting in his or her responsibility.

In his remark, the Education Secretary of Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area, Johnson Nwafor, pledged the cooperation of the four secretaries of the Igbo-Etiti West, East, North, and Central Education Authorities.

Mr Nwafor said the move to reposition public schools in Igbo-Etiti would lessen the pressure faced by parents, who pay exorbitant fees in private schools.

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He commended the choice of Mr Aroh as the chairperson of the PSSC, describing him as a capable person for the job.

A member of the SBMC, Okpara Memorial Primary School, Ikolo, Paul Agada, appealed to the committee to create conducive environment for the learning activities in the area.

(NAN)