By Stephen Adeleye.
Chief Yakubu Godwins, the National Secretary of All Nigerian Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS), has advised teachers to do their work diligently saying their passion for the job does not know any negation.
Godwins gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Lokoja during the monitoring of schools resumption in Kogi State.
Godwins, who is the Principal of Government Day Secondary School (GDSS), Adankolo, Lokoja, urged Nigerian teachers to put in their best regardless of any negative appraisal on the job.
”Once you are a teacher, you must put in your best regardless of any negative appraisal; we are called to this job we are born into it and we are always working towards giving out the best.
”So, I called on my colleagues in Kogi and in Nigeria at large to always put in their best because these children are the leaders of tomorrow and they are the ones to look after us when we are old.
”So we have to do our best regardless of the negative impression from any angle,” he said.
On turnout for resumption, the principal told NAN that his school had about 95 per cent staff attendance, and about 70 per cent for students.
He applauded Kogi Ministry of Education, Science and Technology under the leadership of Hon. Wemi Jones, FCIB, for being able to dispel the earlier rumour that the resumption date had been postponed.
He, therefore urged parents and guardians in the state to release their wards for school resumption, saying lectures had started.
He added: ”Our people like holidays, and it would take some times for parents to understand that once school resumes, activities start, and their ward would be losing if they don’t come as and when due”.
He commended the governor and the Commissioner for making Kogi State Education law 2020 a reality, saying several States were yet to have education law in place.
”We thank God that Kogi would always set the pace because of the competent people we have at the helm of leadership.
”It is a good beginning for us here and I think we will work to make it work,” he said.
The principal further commended Governor Yahaya Bello, for the ongoing construction of the new GYB Model Science Secondary School in their school premises.
Also speaking, the Vice Principal Academics of the school, Mr Ayeni Jacob, said the turnout of the students was very encouraging and teachers were on ground to commence lecture.
Some of the students, Lukeman Muhammed and Precious Adejoh, both in SS3, told NAN that they felt very happy to be back to school after holidays for festive season.
”We are also happy that our teachers are on ground to teach us, as some teachers have even conducted test for their students”, Muhammed said.
”We feel happy to be back to school at least to come back to our academic session and learning continues.
”It’s been a while we have been away from school and coming back now is a great pleasure and we are happy that we are not lock down at home because of COVID-19”, Adejoh said.
Other schools visited by NAN included: Muslim Community Secondary School, St. Thomas Aquinas College, Lokongoma Primary School, Kingdom Heritage Model School (KHMS), among several other schools in Lokoja.
