By Danzumi Ishaku Jalingo.
The Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS) have, called on the Taraba state government to as a matter of urgency declare a state of emergency in the education sector.
This according to the leadership of the union can be done by establishing the state teaching service commission to complement the effort of the federal government in upholding education in the country and the state at large.
The state chairman of the union, Prince Sule Abasu, who made this known on the occasion of the World Teacher’s Day Celebration in Jalingo, urged the state government to upgrade teachers who are committed to “tutor general” who he said is equivalent to Permanent Secretary “as in core Civil service. “
According to him “teaching profession which is one of the proud profession can only be upheld if proper attention is given it.” stating that “I therefore solicit for drastic approach by the State government in mobilizing, upgrading teachers who are committed to tutor general equivalent to Permanent Secretary as in core Civil service so that our younger generation will be impacted with the required knowledge for economic development of our state and country at large. “
While calling on government to fashion out plans towards training and re-training of teachers, the modern information and communication technology, as stated by him “demands that every profession, especially teaching must acquire the modern techniques in imparting knowledge to our children. “
He said “it has been advocated that the best brains yesterday might not be reckoned with today arising from advancement in modern technology” stressing that “the digital children of today may not be effectively schooled by the present analogue teachers. “
Also Soliciting for priority attention in the aforementioned areas, some of the teachers, as made known by him “had undergone the caVmp training ” hence the need for the government to expose more teachers to Information Technology Communication (ICT).
Commenting on rescue teachers recent employed by the government, the union solicited for permanent and pensionable appointment “for effective teaching and learning in our various secondary schools for optimum results. “
The union in the past two years, he said have succeeded in igniting smiles on the faces of it colleagues by the payment of retirement benefits to all retirees, payment of burial expenses to all deceased families, flag off of the multipurpose cooperative Society among others
Identify lack of state secretariat, lack of coordination among teachers, lack of commitment by some teachers in their places of primary assignments, lack of conducive learning and teaching environment “in our secondary schools as a result of takeover of classes by Internally Displaced persons (IDPs), he urged the government to do the needful by heralding smiles on the faces of teachers.
