Ondo Education: How Firewood’s Smoke Distrupts Teaching And learning.
By Olusegun HOSEA, Akure
5th October,2023 .+2348036210054
Learners of Iloro Community Primary school, Owe Akala in Akure has lamented their ordeal from the firewood’s smoke that was penetrating directly into their classroom from the neighborhood while lessons were going on. The smoke, according to the learners was hurting their eyes which doesn’t allow them to concentrate on the teachings in the classroom.
The magnitudes of the smoke according to an eye witness was enough to cause health hazard to the learners if not stopped. The smoke that was gushing out from the mud kitchen attached to the fence that demarcated the school and the house, was going directly to the primary six classroom, Head master’s and assistant Headmaster’s office and other classrooms along the same corridor of the school, it had been causing educational inconvenience to the learners and the staff that were carrying out their duties in the classroom.
The management and the Parents Teachers Association of the school while lamenting about the incident, said their was little they could do to stop the smoke as they can not asked the owner of the house where the smoke is coming from toward the classroom not to cook with the firewood for her family.
According to the P.T.A , Chairman of the school, Reverend Matthew Ibitoye, said they had appealed to the women on so many occasions and she promised them to be setting up her fire to prepare the local cassava flour called” Fufu” before the learners resume to the school.He said but with all their appeals, it’s seems that the woman had not keep to her promised as smoke was still disturbing the pupils in their classes while teaching and learning was going on.
Similarly, Reverend Matthew said there was nothing they could do to stop their neighbour from setting up the fire because she’s living in her own house. He however said he and his team had planned to consider the option of raising the school’s fence with at least two to three couches of blocks, to prevent the smoke from coming directly to the classroom of the learners whenever there is money.
When asked if the management had planned to level the learner’s fees inorder to raise funds for the blocks that would be used to raise the fence? He said they don’t have any intention to do that as any money to be paid by the learners must be approved by the government. He also said they haven’t reported the case to the government and that efforts are still on the top gear to do that, whenenver the management meets and the matter would be brought up for discussion because the incident according to him requires urgent attention.
When asked if the management had reported the case to the government, he said no but they only consulted the women on several occasions to stop the smoke but her response according to Reverend Matthew was that there was nothing she could do to stop the smoke because it’s mandatory for her to cook for her family. The entire school management are now calling on the government to come to their Aid in order to arrest the situation as quick as possible.
He also used the medium to appeal to the government to help them renovate the remaining four class rooms buildings and equip them with modern furniture for the learners to sit during the teaching and learning.
