As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to celebrate World Teachers’ Day, the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has called on the Federal governments to fulfill its promise made four years ago regarding teacher welfare packages.
The teachers made the call at an event to celebrate World Teachers’ Day with the theme “Valuing Teacher Voices: Towards a New Social Contract for Education,” in Abuja on Saturday.
It is recalled that the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari used the 2020 World Teachers’ Day to acknowledge the low status of teachers and announce the approval of welfare packages aimed at revitalizing and repositioning the education sector for greater service delivery in the country.
The incentives include the payment of a Special Salary Scale for teachers in basic and secondary schools, the reintroduction of a bursary award for education students in universities and colleges of education, a special teachers’ pension scheme to retain experienced talent in the profession, as well as extending the retirement age for teachers, free tuition, and automatic admission for the biological children of teachers, among others.
However, with most of these commitments still unimplemented, teachers have voiced their frustration, urging authorities to take immediate action.
NUT National President Titus Amba stated that poor funding and inadequate investment in education constitute major barriers to the effective implementation of educational policies and programs in Nigeria.
“It is worrisome to observe that four years later, most of the approvals remain unimplemented. We hereby call on both federal and state governments to ensure full implementation of the approved incentives to boost the morale of teachers in their professional duties.”
He also noted that teacher shortages are a major challenge confronting education systems around the world, including Nigeria, emphasizing that the situation in junior and senior secondary schools, especially in rural communities, is discouraging.
Regarding the harmonised retirement age for teachers, he expressed gratitude to the federal government and the National Assembly for enacting the Harmonized Retirement Age for Teachers in Nigeria Act, 2022, which provides for the retirement of teachers upon reaching 65 years of age or completing 40 years of service.
“We are pleased to note that 23 states, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and the federal government have implemented the new retirement age for their teachers. May I use this opportunity to urge the remaining states to ensure the implementation of the Harmonized Retirement Age for Teachers without further delay, as this will not only allow schools to benefit from the services of experienced teachers but also help address the manpower needs caused by a high rate of retirements without corresponding recruitment to fill the gaps.”
In his address, President Bola Tinubu appreciated the high level of commitment and collaborative efforts of friendly nations and international development partners (IDPs) for recognizing and supporting teachers worldwide, including those in Nigeria.
He assured that his administration would leave no stone unturned in ensuring that teachers’ welfare, in particular, and quality education—which is key to women’s empowerment, disease prevention, poverty reduction, and promoting peace, unity, and prosperity—are achieved in Nigeria.
Tinubu, represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Sen. George Akume, said, “As a teacher, you must acquire teacher education to possess the specialized knowledge, skills, and attitude needed to perform the task of teaching in the school system. The acquisition of these specialized competencies qualifies a trained person to be a professional teacher.
“Furthermore, competencies and professionalism imply that teacher education is designed for certification after acquiring the prerequisite knowledge, skills, and the willingness to be teachers from the onset or who are on the job and are willing to obtain the requisite professional qualifications through training and retraining.”
The event also honored some of the best-performing governors, including Dr. Nasir Idris, the Executive Governor of Kebbi State; Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Iormen Alia, the Executive Governor of Benue State; and Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, the Executive Governor of Borno State, among others.
Outstanding teachers in the country were also awarded car gifts and others.
