...As School Shut Out Parents, Students For Non Compliance With COVID - 19 Protocols
From Abayomi Ife, Abeokuta
Seven teachers in public secondary schools in Ogun state, Nigeria, have died during the first term holiday which began on December 18, 2020.
Another one died in the morning today, Monday, bringing the total to eight just as all schools - private and public, resumed across the state with some parents and students shut out in one of the private schools for noncompliance with the Coronavirus Protocols.
Mr Asein Godwin, the Vice principal of the school, Comprehensive Academy, Lanfenwa, Abeokuta, said the students and their parents who failed to put on facemasks were sent back home.
Asein said the decision taken on the affected parents and the students, was part of the efforts of the school to comply with the safety guidelines prescribed by the Presidential Task Force (PTF), Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and Ogun state government.
On the death of public schools teachers, The Daily Crucible gathered that as students and colleagues returned to schools, they were shocked and sad to discover that not all the teachers resumed and upon inquiry, were told that the deceased teachers died during the holiday.
The teachers it was learnt further belonged to the teachers union called Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools(ASUSS), Ogun state chapter.
ASUSS State Chairman, Comrade Akeem Lasisi, confirmed the unfortunate loss of teachers in the state.
Grieving Lasisi said the death of their friends and professional colleagues is already taking a toll on their collective psyche, lamenting that they now discharge their duties amid fear and pain.
He also expressed the worry that the eight were the ones formally brought to the notice of the union, saying more might be discovered when a thorough check is carried out.
He explained that the teachers vacated for the first term holiday on Friday 18th December, 2020, but rued that the union lost an alarming number of friends and colleagues to the cold hands of death during the break.
He said it is saddening that after the several years of hard labour, loyalty and dedication to duties, the colleagues died in active service, and not being able to reap the fruits of their hard labour.
Lasisi who is also the National Vice President of ASUSS, listed the deceased teachers as Falola Temiloluwa Michael, a teacher at AUD College Ota, Ado Odo/Ota Local Government Area who died on 2nd January 2021, Mr Adeniyi Ogundipe, a teacher at Remo Divisional High School, Sagamu, who died at the Olabisi Onabanjo Teaching Hospital, Sagamu on 2nd January 2021, Miss Ogunjobi Oluwakemi Lateefat, a teaching staff at Lafenwa High School, Abeokuta, whose sudden death occurred on 4th January, 2021 and Mrs O. Odukoya, a teacher at AUD High School, Ijebu Ode, Ijebu Ode Local Government Area whose sudden death occurred two days ago on Saturday, 16th January 2021.
Others are Mr Seyi Odufoye of Commercial Secondary School, Atan Ota, Ado Odo/Ota Local Government Area who died on 28th December 2020, Mr Rasheed Adeneye, a teacher at Area Community High School, Owode Yewa, Yewa South Local Government, who died on 29th December 2020 and Mr Godwin Okoro, a teacher at Remo Divisional High School, Sagamu whose sudden death occurred while on holiday in his hometown in the Eastern part of the country on 1st January 2021.
According to him, the eight teacher died on Monday morning after he had informed members of the seven that died during the holiday.
The ASUSS chairman urged members to be proactive and urgently seek God's intervention to put an end to the litany of tears, grief and pains occasioned by the deaths of professional colleagues.
He said :"There is a need for us to be proactive and seek God's intervention and attention in a bid to stop tears, grief and pains occasioned by the untimely deaths of our friends, brothers, sisters and above all professional colleagues.
"It feels like a dream to us that we lost these colleagues. It scares us that they are no more.
"With these men and women lost to the cold hands of death, should Secondary School teachers and other major stakeholders not have a reason to seek God's intervention, mercy and attention to help stop these untimely deaths?
"The listed deceased were the ones that were reported to the Union within the period under review. It is very likely we may still have unreported cases.
"In view of these painful losses, ASUSS will soon have another extra ordinary Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting where a way forward will be projected to seek God's clemency in putting a stop to the untimely death.
"With these losses, no doubt, the multiplier effects on workload and by extension productivity can better be imagined on the teachers left behind as we are all made to teach different subjects outside our courses of study, due to low staff strength."
However, sources close to the state ministry of Education, Science and Technology, said the authority is not yet aware of the loss of its eight teachers, saying the deceased teachers might have died during the first term break.
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