As schools in Benue State reopen from the Christmas and New Year break to begin the 2025/2026 second term work, both public and private schools in Otukpo Local Government have recorded low turnout of pupils.
Our Otukpo zonal correspondent, Egbe Attah who monitored the situation in the area, reports that in most of the schools visited, teachers were on ground but there was a low student turnout on the first day of resumption.
At Unique Nursery and Primary School, Otukpo, all the teachers resumed on the first day, but only a few pupils were present. Speaking in an interview with The Voice, the proprietor of the school, Chief Icha Adole, said he was not impressed by the turnout of the pupils. He noted that the habit of pupils staying at home beyond the stipulated time for holiday was wrong and appealed to parents and pupils to turn a new leaf.
“The idea of staying at home beyond the official holidays is common with most students, so the low turnout on this first day of resumption is not surprising. I hope as the days go by, there will be an improvement,” he stated.
Similarly, at Ewulo College, Otukpo, the story was the same: teachers were ready to teach, but the students were absent. Reacting, the principal of the college, Mr. Odeh Idda, condemned the attitude of students and parents, saying, “It is not good for the school system, especially as the term is too short to be wasted. Additionally, external examinations will soon start, and there is a need to adequately prepare the students.”
In his words, “I call on my students to come to school and settle down to work, especially as our teachers are ever ready to teach.”
Also, at Muslim Community Secondary School, Otukpo, the story was the same: the turnout of students was not impressive, but the teachers were on hand, ready to work. The head of the school, Mr. Mohammadu Hassan-Dan, who was impressed at the level of turnout of teachers on the first day of resumption, urged the students to return to school as school work had already commenced in earnest.
At Jesus College Otukpo, it was observed that a few students resumed for the new term. However, at St. John’s Anglican Secondary School, Otukpo, the turnout of students and teachers was impressive.
Speaking with our correspondent, the school principal, Lady Ifeoma Okoli, said her students always turn up for school on the first day of the term. She stressed that those who fail to come on the first day without permission are made to pay a fine for their absenteeism.
She pointed out that their greatest challenge is the change in curriculum, emphasizing that there is no manpower to handle some of the new subjects, especially the vocational ones.
“Our greatest challenge now is the lack of professionals to teach some of the newly introduced subjects, particularly the local languages and the vocational subjects like Fashion Design and Garment-making or GSM Repair, etc. We advise the government to begin training teachers in these areas, or else impacting them to students effectively will be a herculean task,” she bemoaned.
Also, at St. John’s Anglican Nursery and Primary School, the turnout was quite good. However, the Headteacher, Mr. Austin Amazu, said the turnout would be better if parents were ready to release their wards to school.
“Our problems are parents who don’t release their wards to school as and when due. We would also ask that the government carry private school proprietors along while formulating new policies to ensure seamless transition. A good example is workshops which are usually organised for government teachers to keep them abreast of new education trends,” he observed.
Other schools visited, including St. Peter’s Primary School, St. Andrew’s Primary School, and Central Primary School, among others, recorded low turnout of pupils.
