Shortage of teachers hits FCT schools

Wike charges GSSS Maitama graduands

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) School Management Department has revealed that a shortage of manpower, particularly secondary school teachers, has reached a crisis point in many FCT schools.

FCT Minister Nyesom Wike made the disclosure at the graduation and award-giving ceremony of Government Science Secondary School (GSSS), Maitama, Abuja, on Wednesday.

Represented by the Deputy Director, School Services, FCT, Mrs Ihuoma Chizoba, Wike, while enumerating the challenges facing secondary schools in the FCT, noted: “The worst challenge we are facing in the FCT secondary school is shortage of manpower. We don’t just have manpower.

“There are no teachers in most FCT secondary schools. It is our hope that more teachers will come into the schools to nurture the students for the future,” she said.

Also speaking during the event, Chairman of the Parents-Teachers Association (PTA), Benson Obega, lamented the negative effects of the use of Artificial Intelligence on students and cases of bullying.

According to him: “There are myriads of challenges as far as the instruction is concerned. Some of them are not just the behaviour of the students but the facilities that are overstressed because of the population.

“The manipulation of AI is breeding criminality and cybercrime among students in the school. Also, bullying has become very high. Yes, we cannot rule it out in a society we are today but we have tried to manage them to ensure that they did not go out of control. We have also done well in leading the students to take the positive directions,” he said.

Appraising the performance of the school, the PTA boss said: “I am urging the graduands to go into society and project the image of this school and make us proud as parents. The students came all the way from Ghana, South Africa and across every part of the country.

“Their performances academically and extracurricular have been very fantastic. One of our students, a 16-year-old by name Franklin, won a Liverpool essay competition to the point that Liverpool University has sent an appreciation letter to the school and the award to him. The performances of our students are progressively on the increase,” he said.

In his advice to the students, both the school principal, Mallam Isa Usman Okuru, and another PTA member, Chinwe Ogbuka, urged them to embrace skills and be ready to face challenges.

According to the principal: “As you leave the walls of this school, remember that education is more than the acquisition of knowledge, it is the development of character, integrity and wisdom. The certificates you received today are important, but even more important are the values you have cultivated- honesty, diligence, respect, compassion and resilience.

“These values will guide you wherever life takes you. The world you are entering is filled with opportunities and challenges. There will be moments of success and moments of difficulty. Do not be discouraged by setbacks. Instead view them as opportunities to learn and grow. Believe in yourself, work hard and never stop learning,” he charged.