The Edo State Civil Society Coalition for Human Rights (ESCSCHR) has sharply criticised a directive by the state’s Ministry of Education mandating public secondary school teachers to engage in bush clearing and cleaning exercises ahead of school resumption.
The order, issued via a circular from the Secondary Education Board (SSEB) on August 27, 2025, directed principals to ensure that teachers carried out the exercise on September 1, while students would join on September 8. Principals were further instructed to submit photographic evidence of compliance to an official WhatsApp monitoring platform.
According to the circular, the initiative was part of Governor Monday Okpebholo’s transformation agenda aimed at instilling cleanliness, discipline, and voluntary service within schools.
But in a statement jointly signed by its Coordinator General, Kola Edokpayi, and Secretary General, Aghatise Raphael, the ESCSCHR described the directive as “disgraceful” and “a violation of teachers’ professional dignity.”
“Teachers are nation-builders entrusted with shaping the minds of children. Reducing them to gardeners and cleaners is a shameful act of abuse,” the coalition said. It further argued that the practice contravenes Section 34(1)(c) of the 1999 Constitution, which prohibits forced or compulsory labour.
The group accused the state government of reneging on its promise to prioritise teachers’ welfare, urging instead the immediate recruitment of non-teaching staff, including cleaners and gardeners.
“Respect teachers’ dignity. Let teachers teach, nothing more, nothing less,” the statement read, warning that failure to rescind the directive could spark protests, public campaigns, and potential legal action.
As schools prepare to resume, government officials are yet to respond to the backlash, and the directive remains in force.
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