Bauchi School closure: Poly lecturer commends education commissioner

Samuel Luka, Bauchi

A lecturer with the Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic Bauchi, Nazif Abba Pali has backed the recent decision of the education commissioner, Dr. Aliyu Tilde to closed down a secondary school over the arrest of its principal by the Police.

It can be recall that the Principal of Government Day Secondary School Rimin Ziyam in Toro local government area of the state was indefinitely closed down following the arrest of the Principal due to disciplinary action taken against a female student by a teacher.

The commissioner had disclosed that the decision was indefinite, pending when the community and the police will assure the ministry that its teachers are safe to discharge their duties.

Pali who is the former Head of Mass communication Department in the polytechnic, expressed dismay that some parents can invite the police on issues regarding disciplinary measures taken against their wards instead of channelling their grievances to the management of the school.

“We are made to understand that honesty speaking some parents are not helping matters. The information we received is that there was a kind of punishment by a teacher on a student and all of a sudden, the parents went and involved the police and the Principal was arrested”, Pali recalled.

The lecturer in an exclusive interview with our correspondent on Tuesday, described the action of the parents against the management of the school as very embarrassing and intimidating on the part of the teachers.

“It is very sad because it is not helping the system”, Pali grudgingly said.

The lecturer said, “it is a well known fact that we from this part of the country are lagging behind in terms of education enrollment but unfortunately some people are sabotaging government’s effort in closing the gab by intimidating teachers once a disciplinary action is taken on their children”.

“You see, this issue of arrest is a serious issue, I remember vividly that there was a circular from the ministry of education trying to ban capital punishment in schools, I believed that most of the teachers were able to embrace the order by way of giving only light punishment to any erring student but unfortunately this just happened”, he lamented.

Pali said that the action of such parents is capable of demoralizing the teachers from doing their job.

Mr. Pali attributed the action of such parents to lack of understanding their responsibilities as parents, adding that a responsible parent or guardian cannot invite a police against a principal or teacher for disciplining a child over misconduct.

The lecturer who appealed to parents to support the efforts of teachers of inculcating both knowledge and discipline in the children who are potential leaders of tomorrow noted that they partners in progress.