By Austin Ogwuda
It is the height of moral decadence and brazen lawlessness in the society that would warrant a pupil or student to engage his or her teacher in an open fight in any part of this country, Nigeria.
Nigeria, indeed Africans have a unique culture which is gradually eroding us.This is not a western world where a son calls his father by the first name and greets when he wakes up in the morning with fists and knuckles.That is alien to us.
Take a trip to the South Western part of Nigeria, till today they don’t play with obessiance to the elders, no matter your societal status including other communities in the North, South and East.
Back in the days gone by, teachers right from the primary school level were well respected. Engaging him in altercations or physical combat was like a taboo.
Today, our schools, citadel of learning where academic and character are built together are turning into something else. Unlike school premises known for serenity are gradually turning into motor park garages where ‘agberos’ exchange blows at least provocation.
Incidents of pupils and students either beating up their teachers or engaging their parents to take revenge against teachers who disciplined them for misdemeanors abound.
Sometimes in 2013, the Delta State Government under the then Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan suspended five students of Zappa Mixed Secondary School, Asaba, indefinitely, for assaulting their teachers.
Patrick Muoboghare, the then State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education when he received the report that some students of the school assaulted their teachers he immediately raced to the school and was shocked that four males and one female student, descended on some of their teachers while they were being disciplined for misconduct.
He then said that the suspension would remain in force until the parents of the affected students signed an “undertaking on their behalf that they will be of good conduct.
“For what I saw and heard that the students did to their teachers, they will remain at home until their parents come to sign undertaking of good behaviour on their behalf.
“After that, any future complaint about any of them will attract outright expulsion from the school. We want to produce students who will be good ambassadors and source of pride to their parents, the school and the society”, he stated.
After that ugly incidents there were several others, some unreported.
Then came the recent one that has gone sour – nolonger bullying and fighting but turned into a manslaughter/murder at Agbor, Delta State.
It was the death of a school teacher, Mr Sunday Ufua who was allegedly flogged to death by an aggrieved parent who stormed the school in anger because the said teacher he flogged, flogged his own son who was said to have scaled the fence with some other boys to drink some palm wine nearby.
Ufua, until his untimely death, was a Physics teacher at Alihami Secondary School in Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area of the State.
In a condolence message to the family of the deceased and the State Wing of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Sir Festus Ahon, Governor Oborevwori said the activities leading to the death of Mr Ufua were condemnable and avoidable and urged the Police authorities to investigate those behind his death with a view of serving justice on the issue.
He warned parents and guardians against taking illegal actions against teachers for correcting their erring children and wards.According to the statement, “such delinquent actions remained intolerable in schools across the State.
“I have been briefed on the death of hardworking school teacher of Alihami Secondary School, Agbor, allegedly at the hands of a parent whose son had been punished for alleged bad behaviour.
“While I condole with the bereaved family and teachers across the state on the unfortunate and untimely passing of their father, son, brother and colleague, I have directed the State Police Command to investigate the allegations against the parent and the student with a view to ensuring justice is served on the matter.
“As a state government, we frown seriously at parents going to bully teachers for genuinely meting out disciplinary measures against students for bad behaviour such as is alleged in the extant case.
“I have directed the State Police Command to investigate the case properly and bring the perpetrators to book.
“On behalf of the government and people of Delta, I commiserate with the Ufua family and teachers across the state on the untimely and unfortunate demise of their father and colleague.
“As a state, we will never tolerate actions like this in our schools”, the governor warned.
Now that death has resulted and since life lost cannot come back, The Town Hall Media believes that time has come to put a halt to such brigandage.
Draconic action must be taken to sanitize the system.
Why should a parent turn to ‘agbero’ (tout) by taking the law into his or her own hands.
Are there no official channels to lay genuine complaints like corporal punishments resulting to bodily harm, defilements, etc.
In as much as I wouldn’t subscribe to allowing some bad eggs among the teachers to bully, beat your child to stupor, inflicting injuries, locking him up in the toilets, disciplining a student by kneeling down, flogging only by the hands and buttocks for boys, cutting grasses, what is wrong with that?
Emerging fresh facts reaching The Town Hall Media said that the parent who flogged the teacher might had used diabolical means in the process.
But since investigation is ongoing there’s no need to espouse that, moreso when such words like ‘African magic’, ‘juju’, ‘withcraft’ are unknown to Law in establishing your case in a law court.
Whatever the case, it is time to halt this ugly trend before our teachers begin to look away for fear of being beaten, waylaid or killed for trying to reign in an errant student.
The time is NOW!