The Opuama community in Warri North Local Government Area, Delta State, is grappling with a deepening education crisis, as public schools in the area suffer from severe teacher shortages and deteriorating infrastructure.
Investigations revealed distressing scenes at Oloduwa Primary School, Azama Primary School, and Oloduwa Secondary School. Roofs and ceilings were in disrepair, classrooms lacked sufficient furniture, and many pupils were seen sitting on broken chairs or directly on the floor. Faced with a lack of government support, the community has taken on the responsibility of funding education independently. According to Dr Macaulay Owen, Chairman of the Opuama Education Committee, the community is currently paying the salaries of 15 volunteer teachers to keep the schools operational.
“In Oloduwa and Azama Primary Schools, there are only three government teachers each, while the secondary school has just five teachers for all classes from JSS1 to SS3. To fill the gap, we are paying about N100,000 monthly to each of the 15 additional teachers, which is placing a huge financial burden on our people,” Owen said.
Owen said the situation has become unsustainable and called on the state government to urgently deploy qualified teachers, particularly from the community, to ensure they remain committed to their duty posts despite the challenging riverine terrain. He added that the community has written to both the local government chairman and the Delta State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, but has yet to receive any response.
When contacted, the Commissioner for Primary Education, Dr Kingsley Ashibogwu, acknowledged that renovation work is ongoing at Azama Primary School. “We will look into the teacher situation because I am aware they are now writing their examinations,” he said. Efforts to reach the Commissioner for Secondary Education, Mrs Rose Ezewu, were unsuccessful, as calls and messages were not responded to at the time of filing this report.
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