Over 90 percent of schools in Kogi have no infrastructures, poor laboratories – ASUSS

Over 90 percent of schools in Kogi State have deficient infrastructures, poor or non-existence laboratories, and libraries with out of date books.

The Kogi State Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools, ASUSS, Comrade Ranti Ojo made this known while speaking at the occasion marking this years World Teacher’s Day in Lokoja, the Kogi state capital.

Comrade Ojo while calling on the state government to declare a state of emergency in secondary education in the state to steer it away from the direction where it is now heading also hinted that, there is shortages of teachers in all schools all over the state.

He told the governor that, the state of schools in the state calls for urgent attention of the government for the sake of the future generation to which the state belonged.

The ASUSS Chairman lamented that instructional materials are no longer known as part of schools’ necessities while sports and extracurricular activities have for long been forgotten as part of schools’ routine.

“We have been making this call year in year out, yet no government has deemed it necessary to heed our calls. We make the call again today believing that this government that has education as one of its thematic area of focus will urgently take steps to do the needful,” he said.

Responding, the Kogi state Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello promised to ensure adequate and enhanced welfare package for teachers in the employment of the state for greater productivity.

The governor who was represented by his Chief of Staff and running mate in the November 16 governorship election in the state, Edward Onoja, said his administration would continue to sustain regular payment of salaries not only to teachers, but to all other categories of workers in the employment of Kogi State.

He said his government has concluded arrangements to employ 3,500 teachers to address shortage of personnel in public schools in the state.