NUT tasks new administration to increase education budgetary allocation

The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure an increase in the budgetary allocation for education in his new administration.

Dr Mike Ike-Ene, the Secretary-General of the NUT, told the News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) in Abuja on Wednesday that Buhari should also ensure the immediate implementation of the new minimum wage.

He said those were the immediate expectation of the Nigerian teachers, including all Nigerian workers
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“Beyond what we expect, the next level is to look at education holistically; we expect an increase in the budgetary provision for education.

“When it is increased, we expect all stakeholders to follow up the budget by way of ensuring it is actually expanded on education.’’

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He added that teachers welfare should also be made a priority for the new administration, noting that welfare matters were beyond money to also include adequate physical infrastructure conducive for learning.

Ike-Ene said owing teachers’ salary or delaying it offended their sensibility and affected their productivity.

“The teacher, as the most critical factor in education, will expect better welfare and welfare is not all about money.

“Teachers expect that the environment they find themselves in should be a better one than where they are coming from as a home.

“For example, it does not make any sense when a teacher teaches under a tree or under a leaking roof, it will surely affect both the teaching and learning outcomes.’’

He said that it was also expected that teaching and learning materials should also be provided before schools resume, adding that local, state and federal level should be ready to equip the teacher ahead of time.

According to him, four weeks into resumption, lesson notes, diaries, registers, learning materials have not been supplied and this has forced teachers to use their monies to provide for state’s needs, adding that this is not good.

The secretary-general called on Buhari to sign the bill seeking to extend the retirement age of primary and secondary school teachers from 60 to 65 years, as obtainable for teachers in the tertiary education sector.

He said the new administration should also do everything to address the out-of-school children syndrome and ensure universal basic education for the first nine years was actually “free” and “real’’.

Ike-Ene, however, commended the government for areas it had performed well, like the school feeding programme and prayed for its sustainability.

“I know Mr President means well for teachers and if he does, we expect that in the next level there should be a better motivation for teachers, better recognition, better everything.

“This will make them work harder and make them contribute to the upper level after the next level.”