Lawmaker Bemoans Dearth of Quality Teachers in Schools

By Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

A member representing Isin/Irepodun/Ekiti/Oke-Ero Federal Constituency of Kwara State in the House of Representatives, Hon. Raheem Olawuyi has expressed concern over the continued dearth of qualified teachers in various disciplines and subjects in the country’s education system.

He therefore called for the establishment of a federal college of education to be sited at Omu Aran in Irepodun Local Government Council of the state to address the issue in the country.

Olawuyi, who stated this in Ilorin in a chat with journalists on the state of education in the country said: “The issue of qualified teachers has remained a major factor in the growth of education in the country and must be developed very well.

“It is high time the government put all machineries on ground that would encourage quality teachers and the only way to do this is to establish a standard college of education that would train our teachers in the country.”

He said the gesture would expand educational opportunities for youths and other eligible citizens in the constituency and the entire country. “Specifically, the FCE Omu Aran will be of great utility to prospective students in the federal constituency, Kwara and neighbouring proximate communities in Osun, Ekiti and Kogi States.

“The FCE Omu Aran will serve as a melting point for academic pursuits and human resource generation by way of training and retraining of ‘standard-gauge’ teaching professionals.

“The institution, once in operation, will also serve as a channel for engagement of qualified persons into academic and non-academic staff positions, contributing to offsetting the unemployment index in the nation.”

The lawmaker added that the establishment of the college would increase economic activity around its location in Kwara and the adjoining communities in neighbouring states.

On the choice of Omu-Aran as the location, he said: “Geo-spatially, Omu Aran is uniquely central to all axis of the Ekiti/Irepodun/Isin/Oke-Ero Federal Constituency and within the region; it has one of the greatest proximate and accessibility index with respect to all the adjoining demographic delineations that have been listed.”