From Joseph Amedu, Lokoja
The Kogi State Government has concluded plans to recruit 4,000 teachers to end lingering shortage of academic staff in secondary schools across the state.
Commissioner for Education, Science, and Technology, Wemi Jones, disclosed this at a meeting with the Education Task Force in Kogi Central, held at Government Day Secondary School, Iruvucheba in Okene Local Government Area over the weekend.
The commissioner said that the meeting is aimed at identifying factors mitigating against the progress of education in the zone such as drop out of school children, Lateness to school, drug abuse, cultism, bullying, parent attitude and family instability amongst others.
He said that lack of teachers is central to all the problems and that is why government is working round the clock to address the lingering acute shortage of academic staff in secondary schools across the state.
The Coordinator of the Education Task Force, Muhammed Yusuf, and the Okene Community Development Association Chairman, Alh. Hussein Ozigi condemned negative acts such as drug abuse, hooliganism and wilful destruction of school property and cultism.
In his speech, the representative of PTA, Dr Sab Babamba called on the government to declare state of emergency in Education in Kogi state to forestall effective teaching and learning in our schools.