ONGWEDIVA – An Oshiwambo radio programme describing teachers as smelly and dirty has caused an uproar with some teachers demanding that the announcer face disciplinary action.
The phone-in radio programme hosted by presenter Petrus Amutenya also known as ‘Maria Maria’ was airing on Tuesday between the hours of 19h00 and 20h00. In the programme ‘Maria Maria’ allegedly brought up the topic viewed in some quarters as an attack on teachers calling them drunkards, who are dirty with smelly armpits. He allegedly continued to say teachers are tasteless when it comes to dressing for school and are lacking life orientation and are generally irresponsible.
According to the presenter most of the teachers falling under the category he mentioned are the ones stationed at rural schools in the northern part of the country. Many teachers launched a personal attack on ‘Maria Maria’ through different media, including radio, newspapers and social networks. “We are disappointed by the conduct of this presenter who was also a school teacher himself before he joined the Oshiwambo language service as a presenter. Moreover, there are many teachers who are exemplary,” said one of teachers.
“Maria Maria you are a former teacher yourself, your topic was very hurtful, destructive, tasteless and full of defamation towards the entire teaching profession. Did you also have smelly armpits when you were a teacher yourself. Please if you don’t know the right things to talk about when you are on air maybe you should consult your superiors or just resign. How will our learners who also listen to the radio respect us when we are in class now?” queried another teacher. “Maria Maria was off topic we have so many issues that need to be discussed and addressed concerning the teaching profession, but he settled on calling teachers dirty and smelly. He should be constructive, does he think the national broadcaster is his personal toy with which he can just play with however he likes. We already have issues when it comes to disciplining some learners in our schools, so how is this programme supposed to help in that regard,” complained another teacher.
“That was not the right platform to address that issue at all, we have teachers conferences. ‘Maria Maria’ is destroying, rather than building. Topics on radio should be constructive,” said yet another teacher.
However, some teachers and Amutenya himself said those teachers who are complaining are missing the point and that is why they are blowing the issue out of proportion. “That programme was not meant to tarnish the image of teachers, rather the opposite. Moreover, we even received positive feedback from some school principals who say they have seen that attitudes in certain teachers at their schools have changed since. I know that certain people had problems with the programme and some of the issues I believe are personal.
Some callers, many of whom are teachers, even agreed to the programme topic and they even wanted to mention names of schools where teachers are abusing alcohol and such, but we had to restrain them from doing so. The programme was addressed merely to perhaps help change the bad, unpleasant attitudes of certain teachers,” said Petrus Amutenya.
By Kakunawe Shinana