The need to eliminate the shortfall of government teachers and to boost quality education for the creek child in the riverine Gbaramatu Kingdom in the Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State, spurred the Gbaramatu Youth Council (GYC), the umbrella body of youths in the kingdom, to join forces with the Tompolo Foundation (TF), a nongovernmental organisation founded by the Niger Delta leader, High Chief Dr. Government Ekpemupolo alias Tompolo, to remedy the peculiar academic challenge.

The series of field assessments conducted by the Mr. Egbejule Arerebo Kingsley-led GYC and the submission of its findings to its sponsor (TF) to address the problem of shortages of teachers, brought to the fore the need for recruitment of teachers, an exercise which began at the defunct EGCDF's (Egbema Gbaramatu Communities Development Foundation) office in Warri, on October 13, 2024.

After the exercise, wherein more than 200 teachers were interviewed in Warri by s team of specialists headed by a retired teacher, Chief Wellington Uduboh, those who successfully scaled through were presented their Offer and Appointment letters at the defunct EGCDF's office in Warri, on Sunday, November 10, 2024.

However, the first batch of teachers were successfully mobilised to their assigned selected schools in the kingdom to begin their official assignments on Tuesday, November 19, 2024.

It is believed that this move by the GYC and the TF will go a long way to improve learning in the creeks. It is also expected that the communities where the teachers are drafted to will also complement the roles of the youth body and the NGO by providing accommodations as well as create the enabling environment as hosts.

On the part of the recruited teachers it is expected that they will live above expectations by ensuring to not only be on their duty posts but to diligently contribute their quota to the development of the creek child as well as adhering to community rules for civility.

However, while the lack of teachers have been addressed in the short-term, it is hoped that this would translate to a long-term solution to finally put to rest the peculiar academic challenge faced by the creek child in the lack of teachers.

Moreover, this development of the recruitment of community based teachers is an indictment on the failure of the government in its failure to provide adequately for education in the creeks as it does for those in the urban centers. It is also quite appalling that while the riverine areas contribute massively to the development of the Nigerian economy, through the oil and gas sector, its basic needs and the welfare of its inhabitants are not given top priority by the government in its policies formulations.

This therefore calls for the government to overhaul education in the creeks, as the lack of teachers is just one out of the many challenges facing the creek child. The need to build accommodation quarters for teachers, provide needed learning infrastructures like laboratory, library, sports arena, adequate blocks, etc. are areas begging for attention.

We at PENGlobal commend the Tompolo Foundation and the Mr. Egbejule Arerebo Kingsley-led GYC for rising up to the needs of the creek child, just as we implore other well-meaning sons and daughters to key into the project for the present and future upliftment of the creek child who deserves so much more.

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