ZOMBO: Padea School committee to nominate headteacher of their choice

Zombo, (UG): The leadership of Padea Primary School Management Committee (SMC) and the Parent Teachers Association (PTA) with synergies from some parents and other concerned stakeholders have crafted plans to nominate a head teacher of their choice after rejecting the current one.

The SMC members on Monday ,18th September 2023 locked off the Headteacher’s office and barred Mr. Walter Onim from accessing his office, an action that left the pupils and district leaders wondering in hesitation of next course of action.

DailyExpress later on learnt that the action depicted the level of grievances and sensations stemming from allegations of gross mismanagement of funds, school inventory and traces of social misconduct with a few messages expressed on plackcards as one enters the school wooden gates.

The SMC and the parents asked for nothing less than transfer of the accused headteacher and his deputy.

Leveraging the school management committee and the parents, Mr. Nicholas Odeba, the district education officer tasked School management committee to nominate three teachers they deem fit for the position of headteacher.

“You make three nominations of people who are well qualified,who can occupy the office of the headteacher Padea primary school,we shall vet and choose one person,” Odeba said.

This pronouncement of the district education officer engineered mixed choruses during the crisis absolution meeting, reckoning the precedence about to be set, hatching severe job insecurity to several Headteachers who will be helplessly bowing to unreasonable demands of their School management committee members in the interest of job security but rather punitive actions be double sword edged inorder to immune the headteachers.

Mr. Douglous Rupiny, the district councilor representing Padea Town council told this publication that the decision of the District Education Officer can not be adhered to.

“We have been left with the task to look for whoever will suit the position of headteacher of this sch,that is unacceptable,it’s unethical,I condemn it,” Rupiny remarked during a media brief.

The district security experts led by the RDC, inducted the school management committee, PTA members and the parents of Padea primary school on ethical procedures of demanding transfers of underperforming government employees and limited them to the most convenient, peaceful demonstrations using plackcards.

Rt Col. Pius Alitema ,the Resident District Commissioner ordered the District Education Officer to take over interim leadership of the school and promised unkind response to a similar incident.

“If we hear ,you have locked the office of the new headteacher,we shall lock your doors too,” Alitema told the parents.

Padea primary school attracts about 1700 pupils from the areas of Padea Town council, Jangokoro and Abanga sub counties. It was during this meeting that the district leaders expressed empathy for the learners and teachers partaking and imparting knowledge in the dilapidated classroom structures.