It was Open Day at Stardom Schools, a day when parents visit the school to check on their children’s progress. Teachers usually looked forward to the gifts and cash that parents often brought, especially class teachers. But Open Day also made some teachers nervous because many parents used it as a chance to complain.

Mr. Bepo remembered one painful Open Day when Mr. Farore, an English teacher, was suddenly sacked. The parent who caused it was Mr. Guta. He went straight to the MD’s office and demanded that Mr. Farore be dismissed.

As the principal, Bepo hated writing sack letters, whether the teacher was guilty or not. He knew what it felt like to be desperate. He even remembered a time in his past when he was broke and “ate” the ₦2,500 electricity bill money he had collected from tenants. He lied that he had paid, but when NEPA cut the light, the truth came out. He was disgraced in front of everyone. So he understood how people could make mistakes out of hardship.

On this Open Day, Bepo was told to call Mr. Farore out of class. He disliked the idea because it left students idle, but he had no choice since giving notes to prefects to copy had already been banned after a parent once sued the school.

When Mr. Farore joined him, he was confused about why he was being summoned. He said he had no quarrel with Mr. Guta; the parent only checked his son’s book and left without a word. On their way to the MD’s office, Bepo broke the sad news. Farore had been sacked. Heartbroken, Farore went to the staff room to pack his things. Other teachers, hearing what happened, complained that there was no job security at Stardom.

Later, the MD explained the reason for the dismissal: Mr. Guta had seen this sentence in his son’s notebook.
“Ade as well as Jide comes early.”
He insisted it was wrong and should be:
“Ade as well as Jide come early.”
He was so angry that he threatened to withdraw his children from the school.

The MD blasted Mr. Farore for incompetence, but Bepo defended him. He explained that when you use words like “as well as, together with, alongside,” the verb should be singular, so “comes” was correct. He added that this rule is in the subjunctive mood, which is different from normal grammar.

Still not convinced, the MD told everyone to check on their phones. To her surprise, they discovered that both Farore and Bepo were right. The MD felt embarrassed for sacking a good teacher. Luckily, Mr. Audu cracked a joke that lightened the mood. Finally, the MD re-employed Mr. Farore.