The Nigerian Union of Teachers, Oyo State Wing, has resolved to intensify training and retraining of teachers, and sustain legal action against violence and other misconduct in schools.
The Chairman of the union in the state, Mr. Raji Oladimeji, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Ibadan on Tuesday.
Oladimeji said that the union had made provision in its budget for regular capacity-building programmes to update teachers’ knowledge and improve classroom delivery.
He said the programmes were in two categories: statutory and non-statutory.
According to him, the statutory training, known as the Study Circle, is a constitutional and mandatory programme administered by the union’s national headquarters.
He explained that the programme was for state officers and branch executives, including chairmen, secretaries and treasurers from local government branches.
Oladimeji said facilitators from relevant ministries and agencies were usually invited to handle such sessions.
“Beyond the statutory training, we also organise non-statutory in-service workshops within the state to update teachers’ knowledge locally,” he said.
The NUT chairman said that the union also partners with key education agencies in the state, including the State Universal Basic Education Board and the Teaching Service Commission.
According to him, this is with a view to organising additional professional development programmes for teachers.
He said that some of the interventions were supported by development partners and increasingly focused on ICT compliance.
“The goal is to equip teachers to move from analogue methods to effectively teach today’s digital learners,” the NUT chairman said.
Oladimeji also said that the union exposed teachers to international learning opportunities through conferences and workshops in other African countries and beyond.
He disclosed that some members of the union would participate in a capacity-building workshop in Accra, Ghana, before the end of March 2026.
On school safety, Oladimeji said that the union was not taking cases of cultism, bullying, attacks on teachers and other threats within school environments.
He said that the union promptly reports such incidents to security agencies and has also instituted legal action in some cases.
According to him, the union currently has about three court cases related to attacks on teachers and school-related violence.
He recalled a case in Afijio Local Government Area where hoodlums attacked and stabbed a teacher in a school.
Oladimeji said the suspects were arrested, prosecuted and sentenced to six months imprisonment.
“Whenever we see anything that is not good for the school environment or the development of education, we report to the police or take legal action for appropriate sanctions,” he said.
The chairman further said that the union’s firm response was already helping to deter perpetrators from using school environments for criminal activities.
On bullying and student misconduct, Oladimeji said that ensuring a safe school environment should not be left to teachers alone.
According to him, students, parents, communities and teachers all have roles to play in promoting discipline and protecting the future of learners.
“It is the duty of parents, the duty of the community, the duty of students themselves and the duty of teachers.
“All of us must be on deck to sanitise and sensitise people against these barbaric attitudes in our schools,” he said.
NAN
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