Visually impaired Vice Principal, wife struggle to teach 363 students in Abia school

In a heartwarming yet concerning revelation, the Vice Principal of Ozuitem Community Secondary School in Abia State, despite being visually impaired, has taken it upon himself to teach students in the absence of teachers.

This was disclosed by education activist and Educare CEO, Alex Onyia.

Onyia, who shared the story through a video and post on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, expressed his emotional reaction after witnessing the blind vice principal passionately leading a classroom session.

Highlighting the severity of the situation, Onyia revealed that the entire school, which accommodates 363 students from Junior Secondary School 1 to Senior Secondary School 3, relies solely on three individuals for teaching the principal, the visually impaired vice principal, and his wife.

“There are no teachers in this school of 363 students. Their principal, vice principal (blind), and vice principal’s wife teach these students from JSS1 to SS3,” Onyia stated.

He noted that due to the poor state of the school, students often attend classes without receiving any lessons.

However, he disclosed that the West African Examinations Council recently approved the school as an examination centre, following renovation efforts initiated by his organisation.

“In fact, WAEC approved their school as a centre yesterday because they saw the renovation work we are currently doing,” he added.

In October 2024, Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, said his administration declared a state of emergency in the education sector and introduced incentives, including an increase in the retirement age of teachers to 65 years and 40 years in service.

He said, “Our administration understands the importance of education, which explains why we prioritise it as one of the major pillars of our governance objectives.

“As the Chairman of NUT in the state said, we had since increased the retirement age of teachers in the state to 65 years or 40 years of service subject to health and willingness of individuals to remain in the field. We have also effectively banished all forms of discrimination in the payment of workers’ salaries and allowances.”

He also noted his commitment to creating an ecosystem conducive to teaching and learning, adding that he will consider the student-teacher ratio in engaging more teachers in schools across the state.