The Ondo State government has warned teachers in the state against using pupils and students as domestic workers in their private homes and farms.

The Special Adviser to Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu on Special Duties, Doyin Adebowale revealed that the teachers engaged the pupils under the guise of practicals for agricultural studies, according to Vanguard.

Adebowale noted that some teachers in schools, particularly in rural areas of the state were in the habit of using male pupils as labourers on their private farms while some send female pupils to cook in their houses.

Adebowale, therefore, said that any teacher caught using pupils for domestic chores would be sanctioned severely.

He advised teachers to hire workers to work in their farms instead of using pupils.

He said: ''We gathered that some teachers in schools in rural areas have formed the habit of using pupils to work in their private farms under the guise of doing agricultural practicals. Some send female pupils to be cooking for them.

“We are sending warning to teachers to desist from such act. Our office will not hesitate to prosecute any teacher found abusing our children.

''The government is not asking the teachers not to instil discipline. Government does not interfere in the running of schools but we insist the pupils must participate in agricultural practicals in the school farms.

”We are going to monitor the schools and whoever is found wanting will be sanctioned.

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''We will follow the law to sanction teachers. If you take pupils home to go and cook for you, to work in your private farms. We will invoke the law. We recognised the sacrifice of genuine teachers.

”We insist that nobody will take advantage of our children. Hire private hands to work in your farms. Whoever is caught will not find it funny.” 

Reacting to this development, the Ondo chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers described the allegations as a fallacy.

The state Chairman of the NUT, Comrade Victor Akomo, said teachers no longer use pupils for domestic chores in the digital age.

Akomo said that “Teachers don’t do that again. We do not believe it is happening in our schools. We have extra lessons and no time for the pupils to go to any homes. It might be a speculation.

He added that the union is in support that any teacher caught should be sanctioned.