Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, on Tuesday, March 10, has dismissed a secondary school teacher, Mr. Gbenga Owoosi who impregnated one of his students.
In a statement disclosed by the Chairman of the Ekiti State Teachng Service Commission (TESCOM), Babatunde Abegunde on Tuesday.
Mr. Owoosi, a Grade level 10 teacher, taught Economics at Alarelu Comprehensive High School, Igbara Odo-Ekiti in Ekiti South Local Government Area of the state before his dismissal.
He was alleged to have impregnated one of his students, a 17-year-old SS3 girl preparing for the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE), an action which reportedly led to a fact-finding mission by the Disciplinary Committee of Ekiti State TESCOM.
Speaking on the incident, the Chairman, Ekiti State Teaching Service Commission, Hon. Babatunde Abegunde, disclosed that the Commission carried out a thorough investigation on the matter and followed due process.
He said the dismissal would serve as deterrent to others who might want to indulge in such depraved and unethical act which contravened the Gender-Based Violence Prohibition Law 2019.
The Chairman, who commended Ekiti State Government for swinging into action by arresting the culprit, assured the public that Ekiti values will definitely be restored by the Kayode Fayemi-led administration.
A Board member of the Commission who is also the Chairman of the 6-member Disciplinary Committee, Princess Jumoke Owoola, described the accused as a bad egg capable of influencing his students and fellow teachers.
It was gathered that the accused had previous bad records as he had collaborated with some students to steal laptop computers belonging to the school.
The Disciplinary Committee stressed that the case of the dismissed teacher was treated in accordance with the State Public Service Rules (2017) and Ekiti State Teaching Service manual which recommended dismissal as the ultimate penalty for serious misconduct and criminal offence of such magnitude.
The Committee therefore recommended that all teachers should be sensitized on Gender-Based Violence Prohibition Law 2019 and other related issues while schools are monitored more than ever.
