PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari on Friday presented two brand new Hyundai cars worth N7 million (N3.5m each) and an 18-seater bus to the overall best teacher, school administrator and best school respectively. He has also pledged to make the teaching profession more lucrative so as to attract best brains in the country.
Buhari spoke at the 2018 World Teachers’ Day and President’s Teachers and Schools Excellence Award in Abuja, where he presented the cars and other gift items including Refrigerators, Freezers, Plasma Televisions, Power Generating sets among others, to various categories of winners.
A 45-year-old teacher, Mr Patrick Adaramola, of Comprehensive High School, Ayetoro, Yewa North, Ogun State, emerged the 2018 overall best teacher and was handed the keys to the Hyundai (Sonata) car by the President.
Mrs Ezenwa Grace Amarachukwu of Awada Primary School 4, Anambra state won the best school administrator category and smiled home with Hyundai (Elantra) car while Doherty Memorial College, Ijoro, Ekiti state received the 18-seater bus in the Best School Excellence Award category.
President Buhari was represented at the event by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha.
He admitted that the teaching profession has been faced with various challenges including low wages, low self-esteem, lack of professional and in-service training, poor budgetary allocation to teaching profession among others.
He said the theme of 2018 World Teachers’ Day celebration, “The Right to Education Means the Right to Qualified Teacher” was apt in line with various reforms being put in place in teacher education sub-sector aimed at improving the welfare and quality of teachers in the country.
Buhari also lamented that the teaching profession was being regarded as a “dumping ground” which harbours unqualified persons who accept the teaching as a last resort to eke out a living.
He explained that the institutionalisation of the annual President’s teachers and schools excellence award was targeted at motivating teachers to work harder.
He, however, disclosed that from next year (2019), only persons with professional certificates and licenses obtained from the Teachers RegistrationCouncill of Nigeria (TRCN), would be allowed to teach in the nation’s school system.
“In days gone by, teachers were given due honour and respect in the society but unfortunately, today they are being looked down upon as people who could not find anything better for themselves in society.
“Teaching profession in Nigeria has been regarded as a dumping ground and has been patronized by people who believed that teaching is a part time job that allows them to engage in other profit making business which they consider more lucrative.
“The Council has directed those who want to take up a career in teaching and any uncertified teachers in the school system to obtain professional certificates and licenses from TRCN as a condition for either being employed or retained as professional teachers. This policy will become fully implemented by 2019.
“The Federal government of Nigeria is still committed to the course of the teaching profession and frantic efforts are being made to improve teacher education for skills acquisition through teachers continuous professional development,” he said.
He noted that in Nigeria, with over 10 million out of school children, about 250,000 additional teachers are needed to achieve the recommended teacher: pupil ratio of 1:30, saying this was based on the fact that a good number of the already employed teachers are trained and qualified.
Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, disclosed that the various agencies saddled with the task of ensuring attainment and engagement of qualified professionals in the teaching profession, were not resting on their oars.
He disclosed that the National Teachers Institute (NTI) through its distant learning programme has graduated over 36,088 professionals in various academic cadres, the TRCN has registered over 2,000 teachers in the country and given license through the collaboration with the NUT to over 23,350 teachers within the last two years.
Further more, Adamu noted that the National Commission for Colleges of Education has been living up to its mandate of accrediting relevant institutions saying, “presently there are 161 institutions in Nigeria awarding NCE certificates, there are 153 universities in Nigeria out of which 73 universities offer courses for bachelors degrees in education”
On his part, National President of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Comrade Nasir Idris, urged the federal government to as a matter of priority, approve payment of the teachers enhancement allowance to its members at the federal level, and to adopt a professional salary package for all TRCN licensed teachers in order to restore dignity to the profession.
“We call on the Federal Government to approve the payment of the 27.5% teachers enhancement allowance to teachers in the Unity schools and other Federal Government schools.
“These teachers should also be allowed to exercise their trade union rights by belonging to the industrial unions of their choice.
“The Federal Government as a matter of urgent importance, should organise an Education Summit not just a forum for the traditional paper presentation , but a forum where all stakeholders will meet to resolve and strengthen the week links and fill all gaps that have incapacitated and bedridden our education system,” he said.
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