As schools countrywide reel from the effects of the ongoing heavy rains and floods, those in the north-eastern region are also grappling with two other serious challenges.
One is insecurity, as a result of terrorism, and the other is a perennial teacher shortage. The region ranks high as a hardship area, but it is terrorism that has hit schools particularly hard, as teachers from upcountry fearing for their safety, stayed away. One can understand this, as there have been cases of non-local teachers being targeted by terrorists. However, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) interdicted some last September for refusing to return to their work stations. This is so, yet the national examination candidates will sit the same tests as their counterparts in other parts of the country. This makes it extremely difficult for them to compete favourably, and will disadvantage them in future. It is, of course, a problem that cannot be solved overnight.
