The Edo State chapter of the Nigerian Union of Teachers, NUT, on Sunday decried the shortage of teachers in the state’s public schools.

Bernard Gbenga Ajobiewe, the state chairman of NUT, lamented the shortage at the 2025 World Teachers’ Day in Benin City with the theme, ‘Recasting Teaching as a Collaborative Profession’.

Ajobiewe, who commended the Governor Monday Okpebholo-led government for the infrastructural development so far executed in schools, noting that the infrastructure would amount to nothing if there are no teaching personnel.

According to him, the dearth of teachers os more pronounced in the rural areas.

He added that the government of Adams Oshiomhole left behind over 13,000 teachers and that the figure reduced to about 6,000 at the end of Governor Godwin Obaseki’s administration.

The NUT chairman added that over 7,000 teachers are needed in the basic education system.

“We want to say here that after all the reconstruction and renovations of our schools and there are no teachers in the schools it borne out that nothing has been done.

“We want to say that there is a grossly acute shortage of teachers in our schools especially in our rural areas, and as such we want to beg the government to please recruit more teachers so that the vacuum created can be filled so that teaching and learning can be effective in our schools.

“We also look at the dilapidated structures in some of our schools especially in the rural areas. And I know that the government is trying its best but let us still intensify efforts because there are still challenges in terms of infrastructure

“Our slogan is that an average Edo child should be able to access quality education. So if every Edo child should access quality education that means that all facilities and otherwise should be made available in all schools undermining the status of the location whether it is a hamlet, village or a city all schools must enjoy equal facilities,” he said.

The NUT chairman also demanded the urgent implementation of financial benefits for teachers, promotions and the accrued arrears, provision of comprehensive teachers welfare policy including housing, insurance and rural posting incentives.

His equally called for awards to outstanding performing teachers, students/pupils and the inclusion of NUT leadership in SUBEB as board members in line with the UBEC law.

Ajobiewe, however lauded the governor’s efforts in some areas including regular payment of salaries, support for education reform, payment of N75,000 minimum wage for workers, renovation of schools across the state.

In his goodwill message, the state chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Bernard Joman Egwakhide, also called for the employment of more teachers in the state.

Egwakhide, however, lamented that his investigation revealed that Edo State is one of the states in the country that has the least teachers in the public schools.

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A 200 level student of Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University (IBBU), Lapai, Niger State, has d!ed after collapsing in her off-campus lodge.

The deceased, identified as Adamu Fatima Muhammad, with matriculation number U23/FNS/BCH/1093, was a student of the Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Natural Sciences.

Eye Witnesses said Fatima suddenly fell ill at her residence outside the university campus in Lapai and was rushed to the General Hospital, Lapai, where she was later confirmed d3ad.

According to the source, the deceased had earlier lost both parents and was living with her guardian in Suleja, Niger State, alongside her only surviving brother.

“She was a humble and dedicated student. Her passing is a tragedy that has thrown the entire university community into mourning,” the source said.

Fatima was buried in Lapai on Monday according to Islamic rites.

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At least three students have been k!lled and dozens are missing following the collapse of an Islamic boarding school in Indonesia’s East Java province, authorities have said.

National Search and Rescue Agency head Mohammad Syafii said as of 12.30pm (0530 GMT) on Tuesday, “the number of victims is 102 people, consisting of 99 survivors, 3 deaths”.

Rescuers are searching for 38 people believed to be trapped under the rubble following the building collapse, the National Agency for Disaster Management said.

Eleven people have been rescued from the rubble, and 91 others managed to escape, the disaster management agency said.

Seventy-seven victims were taken to several hospitals in the area for treatment for their injuries, according to the agency.

“Efforts to assess the site, monitor the remaining building structure, and prepare evacuation routes for victims are the primary focus of the teams on the ground,” the agency said in a statement on social media.

The agency added that the incident called attention to the need for the “strict implementation of construction safety standards”.

“The public and managers of multistorey buildings are urged to ensure technical supervision during construction to prevent similar occurrences in the future,” it said.

Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency, a separate body, had earlier reported that “provisional data” indicated that 100 students were caught up in the collapse, of whom all but one had been located alive.

Al-Khoziny Islamic Boarding School, in Sidoarjo, East Java, collapsed at about 3pm on Monday as students were gathering for afternoon prayers.

Authorities say the school’s foundation pillars gave way as crews were concreting the fourth floor of the building, trapping dozens of people under debris.

The incident is the second building collapse in Indonesia in less than a month.

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