The Member of Parliament for Bunkpurugu, Abednego Bandim, has revealed that persistent conflict in the area is discouraging teachers, nurses and National Service Personnel from accepting postings to the constituency.

According to the MP, the situation has severely affected education delivery, leaving several schools understaffed or completely shut down. He explained that many basic and Junior High Schools are operating with as little as one teacher due to the refusal of professionals to work in the area.

Speaking during an engagement with members of the Bimoba Students’ Union, Mr Bandim said he has already appealed to the Minister of Education to consider recruiting qualified indigenes to serve as teachers and nurses in the constituency.

“I met with the Minister for Education last week and proposed that we recruit teachers from the constituency itself,” he said. “Because of the conflicts, people from other parts of the country do not want to accept postings to Bunkpurugu.”

He noted that even National Service Personnel are reluctant to accept postings to the area, despite the temporary nature of the assignment.

“Even for just one year of National Service, they refuse to go. When they do accept postings, it is usually out of desperation. But once they secure permanent jobs, they seek transfers within a year or two,” he added.

Mr Bandim lamented that the shortage of teachers has had devastating consequences for education in the constituency.

“You can have a school from Primary One through JHS Three with only one teacher. Some schools have even closed down because of the conflicts,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Secretary to the EC Chair of the Bimoba Students’ Union, Laar Yoobaar, used the opportunity to raise concerns about poor network connectivity in the area. He said unreliable telecommunications services are negatively affecting students’ academic activities.

“We have been suffering from serious network challenges,” he stated. “As Chairman of Parliament’s Communication and Information Committee, we believe you can help use your influence to get network providers to address this problem.”