We need more teachers, classroom decongestion in Lagos schools ― NUT

The Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), Lagos State chapter, has called on the state government to recruit more qualified and competent teachers and also build more classrooms for public primary and secondary schools in the state.

It also asked for the creation of the office of the headmaster-general\permanent secretary for primary education, incorporation of all teachers at both primary and secondary schools into the health insurance scheme, and immediate payment of retirees’ terminal benefits and entitlements.

The chairman of NUT of the state chapter, Otunba Adesina Adedoyin, made the call on Monday in Lagos at the union’s event to commemorate this year’s World Teachers’ Day celebration, being observed globally. The event has “Leading in crisis, re-imagining the future,” as it theme and with representatives of Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) and that of the state’s Universal Basic Education Board, Mr Bayo Adefuye in attendance.

He said all these are needed not only for improved service delivery by teachers and students’ performance but also for education and economic development in the state and in the country by extension.

He said while many teachers are retiring from service on yearly basis, the government recruits new ones only about eight years interval, saying such wide interval is creating a great vacuum in the service.

“It is also necessary that government build more classrooms to decongest those on the ground and make them in tandem with the UNESCO’s 25 students per classroom recommendation and also ensure the retirees get their entitlements immediately as they leave the service,” he added.

While noting that some of NUT members in the state, especially at the primary school level are yet to benefit from health insurance scheme, Mr Adedoyin also argued that creation of the office of the headmaster-general for primary school and to be equivalent of that for secondary schools would provide room for fairness, equity and balance more so that primary school teachers can also attain salary grade level 17 in the system.

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The NUT boss, however, commended the state government in some areas including regular and up to date payment of their salaries including throughout the general schools’ closure due to coronavirus pandemic, promotion, and also on digital and virtual-driven classroom training programmes.

He promised that members of NUT would not renege in their commitment to producing total learners as future leaders.

In her remarks at the event, the state’s Commissioner for Education, Mrs Folasade Adefisayo, said the state would continue to give priority to teachers’ welfare and their capacity development.

She disclosed that part of the state government’s plans for them is to continue to retrain them in order to be more effective as global practices required.

She said many of them who proved to be outstanding among those trained by Microsoft on the effective use of digital devices in classrooms would receive further training at the corporate headquarters of the company in the United States of America in due course.

She said the government is already connecting all its schools to internet facilities so as to make learning and teaching easier and more effective in the state.

Delivering the keynote address at the event, Dr Sylvester Enomehen, researcher\lecturer at National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), said teachers would need to be more innovative and committed to their service so as to be able to do well in this time of crisis as confronting all sectors of the economy.

He asked them to be good role models to their students as whatever they do, say will influence their preparation for leadership positions.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE