In this interview with Amos Aar, Abah John Patrick, the Benue State President of All Nigeria Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS), the deduction of levies from salaries of principals as well as the decayed condition of schools amongst other related issues. Excerpts:
National Record (NR): Let’s start with your introduction sir, who am I interacting with?
ANCOPSS President: I’m Mr Abah John Patrick, ANCOPSS President, Benue State and Principal, Government Secondary School, Okpoga.
NR: There’s so much decay in government secondary schools and as a result, many people are withdrawing their children from those schools to private schools. What do you think is the cause of this problem sir?
John Patrick: Government has not intervened in many of the secondary schools in Benue State apart from some few schools in the town that government has intervened like in Makurdi, Aliade and other towns. In most of the rural areas, government has not intervened and because of the intervention of private schools, community schools and faith-based schools, parents withdraw their children from government schools to such schools and therefore it affects the infrastructural development at the schools. That’s the basic reasons why Government Schools are like that.
NR: Government officials actually attributed lack of financial intervention in government secondary schools to dwindling federal allocation and complete absence of grants from the government but they said they have been intervening in terms of facilities. What I would like to confirm from you is the issue of deductions which many principals have complained about. The Executive Secretary, Teaching Service Board said the principals signed an agreement with the board that levies be deducted from their salaries because they have not been remitting N600 out of the N2000 they have been collecting from each student per term. He said because of the failure to remit N600 meant for the Board, they signed that agreement and according to the TSB Executive Secretary, you as ANCOPSS President witnessed that agreement and so the deductions are not illegal as alleged by principals. How true is this sir?
John Patrick: It is true, thank you so much. We entered into an agreement, a schedule was drawn of the levies we are to pay on monthly basis. They directed that we should pay, but on refusal to pay at the end of the day, then the salary will be deducted. So it was actually an agreement but many principals are not meeting up and as a result, the money has to be recovered at the end of the day because the Board needs to run also, the board has no other source of revenue. So it’s not illegal thing.
NR: Ok sir, to some extent, some of them in their interaction with us said, it’s the responsibility of the government to provide education for its citizens, so there should be no such deductions. What is your take on that?
John Patrick: It is true, but government is not coming forth in that aspect and our children must be educated; so we have to make a way to educate our children. This is because the government complained that the revenue is not enough for them to meet up and we will not fold our hands and say that our children will not be educated. We have to make our own contribution because this is our generation, this is the time for us to contribute our own quota before our generation faces out.
NR: That reminds me of what faith-based owners of schools said about returning their grant-aided schools back to them. Are you in support of the handover? If you are, how would you want the government to return the schools to them and other community proprietors?
John Patrick: I am not in support because just as you rightly said, government schools are in dilapidated conditions. What is providing education for our children now are the community and faith-based schools, and some of the faith-based schools cannot meet up if government should return the schools to them. They cannot employ qualified teachers, so the grant-in-aid that the government is giving them by helping them with some teachers, that is very helpful.
“My appeal to well spirited individuals and organisations is to assist in providing education. They should help in putting up buildings and ICT centres and so many other things that will aid teaching and learning in schools because government alone cannot do it, individuals that are rich can assist in building or maintaining the existing schools so that our children will be given the best education.”
On the other hand, before the government thinks about returning the schools, there are so many things that need to be put in place and even if they return the schools to the faith-based organisations, it will bounce back on parents, possibly they will increase school fees to employ teachers and in so doing, the burden will become so much on parents.
So it is my idea that government should do its best to improve infrastructure in the schools and employ more teachers to the faith-based schools so that when the teachers are employed and the teachers are there, they will not agitate for the return of their schools. That is my take on it.
NR: Can you tell me more about those things that need to be done before government secondary schools will be returned to faith-based organisations?
John Patrick: The government should employ more teachers because when you go to some government secondary schools, you see only a principal and one staff. They should also put up new befitting structures that government schools will become attractive to parents and their children. That time, they can handover the schools to the owners.
NR: What message do you have for the government and the general public sir?
John Patrick: My appeal to well spirited individuals and organisations is to assist in providing education. They should help in putting up buildings and ICT centres and so many other things that will aid teaching and learning in schools because government alone cannot do it, individuals that are rich can assist in building or maintaining the existing schools so that our children will be given the best education. That is my appeal to individuals and organisations in the state.
NR: Thank you very much for giving me your time.
John Patrick: You are welcome, it’s my pleasure.
