BY EDNA EMENI
THE Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Delta State Wing has warned against the continuous harassment of teachers at their duty posts, saying this must be discontinued henceforth.
Handing down the warning in an exclusive interview with The Pointer, the state’s Chairman of the NUT, Comrade Poubeni Dickson said, “Any parent who raises a hand against a teacher will have to answer to us”.
The NUT Chairman disclose that he was happy that already, the State Government, under the Rt. Hon Sheriff Oborevwori has a listening ear in this direction, adding that, under his watch as Chairman, “ The NUT in the state will not compromise on that”.
He expressed displeasure at the way some parents treat teachers, saying, “some of them refer to teachers as common teacher, who are they?” This, he said amounted to taking teachers for granted. “We shall no longer tolerate this,”, he warned.
In the good old days, he recalled, when a student or pupil does a wrong, the teacher penalized him or her, but the situation has changed now.
“Most parents forget that the teacher is a very strategic person, who not only teaches, but moulds the character of a child. Therefore, disrespecting him would amount to jeopardizing the future of the child and society”.
While disclosing that the issue of stagnation of primary school graduate teachers on Grade Level 14 had remained a major concern to the NUT in the State, he expressed regrets that even though the State Governor has a listening ear, some persons had remained a stumbling block by not giving him the right advice and information on the issue.
“ Oborevwori has a listening ear for teachers and he has done well, not only for teachers, but for the overall growth and development of the education sector.
“He has respected teachers; played a major role in their welfare, and teachers have reciprocated that gesture by honouring him with an Award of Best Governor in Nigeria”, he added.
