Gov Okpebholo under fire for forcing Edo teachers to cut grass

A civil society organisation, Edo State Civil Society Coalition on Human Rights, has criticised the State Ministry of Education for allegedly compelling teachers in the public schools to cut grasses and engage in menial labour.

In a statement made available to newsmen on Monday, September 1, 2025 in Benin City, the civil society organisation condemned the Edo governor’s action.

The statement was signed by
Marxist Kola Edokpayi and Comrade Aghatise Raphael, Coordinator General and Secretary General of the group, respectively.

The group stated that the teachers were not employed as gardeners, cleaners and janitors.

The group said that teachers must
never be forced into menial labour, threatening to embark on protests and take legal action if the state government fails to stop the development.

“The Edo State Civil Society Coalition For Human Rights is outraged by the disgraceful and demeaning practice of compelling teachers in Edo public schools to cut grass and perform menial labour at the directive of the Ministry of Education.

“This is not only an insult to the teaching profession but also a blatant violation of human rights and labour ethics.

“Teachers are the backbone of society and nation-builders entrusted with shaping the minds of our children. Reducing them to gardeners and cleaners is a shameful act of abuse and a slap in the face of every hardworking educator in Edo State.

“We state clearly that teachers are not slaves, and schools are not forced labour camps. This backward practice belongs to the dark past and must never be tolerated in a state that claims to value education.

“Any nation that treats its teachers with contempt is preparing its own burial ground. Forcing teachers into menial labour is not education reform, it is educational slavery.

“It is worth stressing that this practice violates Section 34 (1)(c) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), which guarantees that “no person shall be required to perform forced or compulsory labour.

“By compelling teachers to engage in work outside their professional mandate under duress, the Edo State Ministry of Education stands in direct breach of this constitutional safeguard.

“Adding weight to our demands, we extract these quotes from the State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, where, he said, “we will place teachers on top priority, and we’ll reverse the shortage of teachers through continuous recruitment of qualified teachers.

“To work is to pray, but we insisted that the sacred work of a teacher is to teach, not to clear bushes. Forcing them otherwise is against the law and will not be tolerated.

“An injury to one teacher is an injury to all. Edo State must respect its teachers or face the resistance of its people,” the statement said.

The group urged the state government to be accountable by ensuring that funds allocated for school maintenance are used transparently and schools’ environmental maintenance responsibilities not pushed to teachers.

The State Commissioner for Education, Dr Paddy Iyamu, reacting to the development, said information at the ministry’s disposal suggested that the menial jobs were a voluntary Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), from some teachers.

The commissioner’s reaction was contained in a statement titled, ‘To Stakeholders in the Education Ecosystem: RE: Edo Civil Society raises concern over teachers in some schools being asked to do menial maintenance jobs’.

Iyamu said that a full scale investigation into the issue has been ordered, assuring that the government would get to the root of the matter and correct any abnormality in whatever form.

“The attention of the Edo State Ministry of Education has been drawn to a publication by a civil society group alleging that teachers are being told to cut grass and engage in menial jobs to maintain their respective schools on the directive of the Ministry.

“While stating that the Edo State Government remains resolute in upholding the rights and privileges of all, we also encourage our teachers to remain strong and focused on academic excellence as the future of our country depends on them.

“Teachers’ priority is transfer of learning, so we want to discourage in very strong terms teachers forcibly engaging in or being used to engage in tasks that do not directly correlate with strengthening knowledge gap and learning outcomes.

“We also want to implore the public to be conscious of those who may be trying to smear the name of the ministry due to the current reforms aimed at putting a stop to unwholesome benefits to a few to protect the common man and the children from humble beginning.

“The Senator Monday Okpebholo administration is fully committed to ensuring that every Edo child gets the best in education and every Edo teacher becomes proud of being an Edo Teacher as seen in the increment of their minimum wage, regularisation of casual teachers to be full staff after three years, building of teachers quarters in some schools, training and retraining of teachers and lots more,” the commissioner said.