National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net
Education Today
Thursday, August 23, 2012
21
‘Why we want to provide free accommodation for teachers’ What level of teachers do you cater for? The focus is only on teachers in the public primary and secondary schools in all states of the federation and they are over 600, 000.
Mr. Adetoro Aina, founder, Teachers’ Shelter Foundation, is a businessman and philanthropist. He spoke to TUNBOSUN OGUNDARE on the efforts of his non-governmental oraganisation in addressing the accommodation challenge confronting teachers in the country. Ecxerpt: What is Teachers’ Shelter Foundation is all about? It is a non-governmental service-based organisation committed to the development of education through the provision of free and comfortable accommodation for teachers in the public primary and secondary schools across the states of the federation and Abuja. The organisation is six years old and it was founded to address primarily the accommodation challenge confronting people in the teaching profession. It is terrible that many teachers, especially at the basic educational level-from primary school to JSS3- have no decent accommodation over their heads. I wonder then how they will be able to teach effectively in such a condition. Also due to the fact that many of them in the cities cannot afford house rent, they live in remote communities where they will have to trek several kilometres because many of them cannot also afford the high transport fare. So, our vision is to elevate the dignity of the teaching profession through the provision of comfortable quarters for all teachers throughout the country. Do you think it is only teachers that are confronted with this problem? I am not saying that, but teachers deserve special consideration. Their job places them above every other profession because no matter a career to be pursued in life at whatever level of education, you have to pass through teachers’ tutelage. So, for them to do the job well they need decent accommodation, they need to live happily with members of their families and so on. It is not that people in other professions do not deserve good things of life. They do but teachers deserve special consideration because of the nature of their jobs. It is like most people in our society do not really understand what it is to be a teacher and the work of a teacher. That is why we don’t value them and we don’t place them in their rightful position in the society. What exactly prompted you into floating this NGO? It all started in 2006 around Ilepeju in Oshodi, Lagos, where I used to visit a friend in his office. Nearby his office I used to see one old couple who often sat in front of a make shift cubicle. I was attracted to them and on enquiry; I was told they were both retired primary school teachers and that they were ejected from their rented apartment when they could not pay their rent. I was moved and I seriously disturbed over the news, especially when considering their advanced ages. I was told that the two of them lived all their lives in that area. They started as bachelors, married and all that in a rented apartment with their three children. I was told that when the owner of their house died, the children took over the property
How does your foundation intend to achieve this objective? Our target is to build teachers’ housing estate in every state. We are proposing a three-bedroom apartment for each teacher across the board. We are partnering the respective state government, especially for land donation for the purpose. We will also seek the support of corporate organisations and spirited individuals for the project. How does your organisation intend to allocate the estate? Each teacher, irrespective of sex will be entitled to one flat. They will enjoy the facilities only when they are in service. But we will encourage them to save the money they would have used as rent to enable them plan for their own houses which they will move to when they retired or quit teaching job.
Aina
and increased the rent beyond what they could afford and because they could not pay their rent, they were ejected from the house and they began to squat in their respective family’s house while they came to see each other and played with their old neighbours around where I used to see them. They used to spend hours at the place before they later
departed to their respective place of abode. I felt for them but I couldn’t do anything to help them as of that time. Right there, I decided that something must be done to help teachers and I considered the provision of good accommodation as their most important need. So two years after, I formed this organisation.
How would you assess the country’s education standard? Generally the standard is low. Government is not paying adequate attention to the sector, the private sectors, as well as individuals do not also give it a deserve priority either. There is no adequate assistance, especially for teachers. If the teachers can be assisted, they will do their work more effectively because they and their members of the family will be happy and that will have positive effect on their jobs, educational system and the society at large. The teachers deserve to live in decent accommodation, good welfare package and to live happily.
Benue, Delta win Mobil-STAN quiz competition MOJEED ALABI
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epresentatives of Benue and Delta States have emerged winners of this year’s edition of the annual national science quiz and project competition organised by the Science Teachers’ Association of Nigeria. The keenly contested competition, which was sponsored by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and Mobil Producing Nigeria (NNPC), featured participants from across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory. After the final round, the duo of Odang Omoha and Akuhwa Fater representing Benue State defeated other challengers to emerge winners in the secondary school quiz category with 122.5 points. The feat fetched them the top prize of N200, 000 and a trophy. Adebayo Shalvah and Benstowe Tamunoiduari of Rivers State came second with 118.25 points, while the Uwalaka Ngozi and Amadi Uzoaku of Imo State won the third position with 116 points which attracted total prize of N100,000 and a trophy each. In the primary school science quiz category, Delta State’s representatives, Ufuoma Morgan and Omohwovo Uyota grossed a total of 128 points to emerge winners. In second place was Ondo
L-R: Susan Eshett, Manager, Public and Government Affairs presenting a trophy to Odang Omoha and Akuhwa Fater of Benue State, winners of the Science Quiz (Secondary School category) at the 17th STAN/Mobil/NNPC National Science Quiz Competition in Abuja.
State, represented by Seidu Abdulrazaq and Owamoyo Evans who scored 117.25 points, while the third position was clinched by Imo State’s representatives of Nwabueze Pascal and Akukwe Kevin with 116.75 points. Delta’s representatives went home with a cash prize of N100, 000 while both Ondo and Imo state representatives received N50, 000 each. Winners also emerged in various categories in the project section. The major highlight of this was the Teachers’ Project, where Mr. Seun Olufolaji of Benue State came first and went home with a N200, 000 cash prize and an HP laptop worth N100, 000.
Speaking at the ceremony, the General Manager, Public and Government Affairs, Mobil Producing Nigeria, Mr. Paul Arinze, said the sponsorship of the event was a demonstration of the company’s commitment to corporate citizenship and an opportunity to contribute to the development of science education in the country. “As the institutional sponsor of this competition for the last 17 years, we are delighted that in partnership with STAN, we are providing a veritable platform for outstanding science students in the country to showcase their intelliCONTINUED ON PAGE 22>>