Following incessant Insecurities in the state, principals and teachers in public secondary schools located in the rural areas of Benue State are now seeking for transfer of service and redeployment to Urban centers.
The Executive Secretary, Benue State Teaching Service Board, Prof. Wilfred Uji, who disclosed this to newsmen in his office in Makurdi on Tuesday said he has received a lot of letters to that effect.
Prof. Uji lamented that the general state of insecurity occasioned by herdsmen attacks and clashes in the state, has badly affected both the posting, transfer and the station of teachers in the state.
He explained that teachers and principals were willing to work but not ready to remain in schools located in villages prone to crisis stating that his office table has been overstretched with letters from the principals and teachers who wants to be transfered or redeploy to safer areas.
“Our secondary schools particularly those located in villages are currently facing challenges created by insecurity. Now, to post teachers to the remote parts of the villages, you must think about their security.
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“Take a look at the Sankera axis for instance, local government areas like Logo, Ukum, Katsina-Ala and so on that have been overran by insecuity from herdsmen to local militias and so on.
“How do you provide the kind of security that will make the teacher feel secured enough to stay? I have received reports of some of my principals who were threatened by the militias and the herdsmen and one of them died of heart attack.
“The same with teachers who have been threatened repeatedly from this axis. Sometimes, people disappear and its its difficult to trace them. So, the general state of insecurity has badly affected both the posting, the transfer and the station of teachers in those areas that are affected by these crises.” Uji said.
He appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to quickly ensure adequate security in the state and hasten up the resettlement, building and rehabilitation of the IDPs so that they can go back home”.
While lamenting the shortage of teachers in the state, Prof. Uji maintained that there is every need to replace the teachers that have retired and those who have died and some who have relocated for security reason or the other.
