A rights group, Edo State Civil Society Coalition on Human Rights, has condemned the State Ministry of Education for allegedly compelling teachers in the public schools to cut grasses and engage in menial labour.
LEADING REPORTERS reports condemned the development in a statement made available to newsmen on Monday, September 1, 2025 in Benin City.
The statement was signed by Marxist Kola Edokpayi and Comrade Aghatise Raphael, Coordinator General and Secretary General of the group, respectively.
The group noted that the teachers were not employed as gardeners, cleaners and janitors.
Stressing that teachers must never be forced into degrading labour, the group threatened to embark on protests and take legal action if the state government fails to stop the development.
The group insisted that the action of the government is not only an insult to the teaching profession, but also a blatant violation of human rights and labour ethics.
The group suggested that the government should employ support staff, gardeners, cleaners and janitors that must be paid adequately to handle school maintenance.
“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.
