By GABRIEL OLAWALE
THE Executive Chairman of Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area, in the Epe division of Lagos State, Mr. Olorunkemi Surakat has called on the state government to address the issue of inadequate teachers in the existing schools within Epe area and environs.

Surakat made the call at the official commissioning of Prince Bayo Balogun Teachers’ House in Ibeju-Lekki, at the weekend.

The council boss described the newly commissioned 1000-chair capacity hall as effort in the right direction, stressing that aside the shortage in number of teachers, there was need for more schools to be built so as to go round a fast developing area such as Ibeju-Lekki.

He continued: “When you look at the number of teachers we have in our local government area, they are not enough. Also, the number of available schools cannot serve our children very well.

Ibeju-Lekki being one quarter of Lagos State in size, the schools are scattered within the area which is about 20 kilometres in distance to each other. So it is not that we don’t have schools to go but our children have to trek hours before they get to schools.

“On our efforts towards supporting the existing teachers, we have employed 150 contract teachers that are posted to various schools within the local government. It is not that there are no teachers within the local government area but they are not enough. Let’s say we have about 500 teachers in the local government and the number we are supposed to have is about 800 so we are experiencing a shortfall of about 300.

“The local government thought of what can be done to move close to the number of teachers needed, this was what made us to employ 150 teachers on contract basis. So we are still having a shortage of about 150 teachers that will assist us in shaping the future of our children.”

Surakat posited that in as much as they are clamouring for more teachers, there was need to take proper care of the existing teachers in their area in which the newly donated teachers house by Prince Bayo Balogun is a bold effort in right direction.

Presenting the key of Prince Bayo Balogun Teachers House to the National President of Nigeria Union of Teachers, Comrade Olukoya Alogba, the donor of the Secretariat Balogun described the development as a dream comes true. “They have been dreaming for this hall in the past 17 years. But when I was invited to the fund raising this year I pledged to ensure the realisation of the dream.”

Balogun who is the Commissioner Lagos State House of Assembly Service Commission and immediate past local government Chairman of Ibeju-Lekki, said the hall was meant to encourage the teachers by way of serving as a source of revenue and at the same time benefit the community.

Reacting to the issue of shortage of schools within the LGA, Balogun attributed it to large portion of land they enjoyed in their area even as he revealed plans by state government to wade into the matter.