A Port-Harcourt based scholar and journalist, Dr. Dormene Mbea, has applauded the President of KAGOTE, Chief Lesi Maol, for the deployment of 1,000 intervention teachers to public schools across Ogoniland, Rivers State.
KAGOTE is synonym to the four local government areas in Ogoniland; Khana, Gokana, Tai and Eleme.
Mbea, in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Saturday, described the development as a visionary intervention in the education sector, adding that it could help steer thousands of children away from societal menace and position them for a productive future.
He said the decision by KAGOTE, under the leadership of Maol and with the support of the four Ogoni Local Government chairmen, to declare a state of emergency in the education sector and provide intervention teachers was not merely an employment initiative but a strategic investment in the future of Ogoniland.
According to him, keeping children in school and ensuring that they have qualified teachers at their formative stages could significantly reduce their exposure to idleness and social vices while equipping them with the knowledge, discipline and skills required to contribute meaningfully to society.
Mbea said the long-term impact of educating children from a tender age could be enormous, stressing that today’s pupils would become tomorrow’s professionals, entrepreneurs, administrators, academics, community leaders and policymakers.
He commended Chief Lesi Maol for recognising that sustainable development in Ogoniland must begin with investment in human capital.
“The children being taught today are the future of Ogoniland. If we give them quality education, discipline and the right environment to learn, we are preparing a generation that can solve problems rather than create them,” Mbea said.
He noted that the presence of 1,000 intervention teachers in public schools across Ogoniland could also help address teacher shortages and strengthen learning activities in communities where inadequate manpower has affected effective teaching.
Mbea therefore called on members of the Rivers State House of Assembly representing Ogoni constituencies, political leaders, council chairmen, councillors, political appointees and other stakeholders to support the initiative and ensure that it produces lasting results.
He also appealed to parents and guardians across Ogoniland to take advantage of the intervention by sending all school-age children to school.
According to him, there should be no excuse for keeping children away from school when additional teachers have been provided to strengthen teaching in public schools.
He urged KAGOTE to engage the four Ogoni local government councils on the possibility of introducing appropriate bye-laws that would encourage compulsory school attendance for children of school age, with lawful penalties for parents or guardians who deliberately refuse to send their children or wards to school.
Mbea said such measures should be designed and implemented within the applicable legal framework and with appropriate safeguards, particularly for vulnerable families.
He further advocated stronger monitoring of attendance by both teachers and pupils, calling on the Rivers State Government to introduce a digital electronic system for signing teachers in and out of schools.
He said a reliable digital attendance system could help improve accountability, establish accurate records of staff presence and assist government in identifying cases of absenteeism and discrepancies in personnel records.
Mbea maintained that filling classrooms with teachers must be matched by ensuring that teachers are present to teach and that pupils are present to learn.
He said the KAGOTE intervention should therefore be viewed as a foundation upon which government and other stakeholders could build a more accountable and effective education system in Ogoniland.
The scholar also commended the four Ogoni local government chairmen for supporting the intervention, saying collaboration between KAGOTE, the local governments, the state government, traditional institutions, parents and communities would be critical to sustaining the programme.
He described Chief Lesi Maol’s intervention as a demonstration of what community-focused leadership can achieve when education is treated as a priority.
Mbea urged other individuals, organisations and institutions with the capacity to contribute to the development of Ogoniland to emulate the initiative by investing in education, skills development and other programmes that directly improve the lives of young people.
He stressed that the greatest measure of the intervention would ultimately be seen in the lives of the children who pass through the classrooms, urging all stakeholders to work together to ensure that the opportunity created by the 1,000 teachers translates into improved learning outcomes and better prospects for Ogoni children.
