World Teachers’ Day: Teachers bemoan worsening plight

Teachers across the country, on Saturday, bemoaned their worsening plight and condition, especially those in the rural areas, as the country joined the rest of the world to mark Teacher’s Day.

Speaking nationwide at rallies organised to commemorate the day and through their leadership, the teachers called on federal and state governments to address the challenges facing them and the teaching profession to enhance quality education delivery in the country.

This came as the national president of Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Mohammed Nasir Idris, charged the Federal Government to consider and approve special salary structure for teachers in the country to address the peculiarities of the teaching profession.

He also urged the Federal Government to, without delay, pay teachers of the 104 Federal Government Colleges, also known as Unity Schools, 27.5 per cent enhanced professional allowances.

Idris spoke on Saturday at the 2019 World Teachers’ Day celebration with the theme: “Young Teachers: The Future of the Profession,” held at Eagle Square, Abuja, where President Muhammadu Buhari said there would be urgent policies that would provide allowances and initiate annual retention benefits for teachers in order to attract them to rural communities.

The Federal Government also at the event announced an insurance package for teachers in the country, promising to insure every teacher at N1 million.

This came as a 50-year-old female teacher, Mrs Elusakin Agnes Iyabo, from Oriwu Senior Model College, Ikorodu, Lagos State, emerged the 2019 overall best teacher in Nigeria and smiled home with a Hyundai Sonata car.

A total of three cars, two buses were presented to various categories of winners by the Federal Government among the 24 awardees at the event.

According to Idris: “It is our belief that a special salary structure for teachers would address the peculiarities of the teaching profession and give the profession its identity and status.

“We hereby make our humble submission that the proposal for a uniform Teachers Salary Structure (TSS) for all professional teachers in the country be given due attention and consideration.

Idris, however, commended the Federal Ministry of Education for the various reforms being put in place to improve the quality of education delivery in the country.

While calling for immediate payment of 27.5 per cent professional allowances to teachers of Federal Government Colleges, he noted that payment of the said allowances would go a long way to further motivate the affected teachers towards optimum performance and productivity.

The union also urged relevant authorities to ensure that teachers of Unity Schools and other Command Schools in the country were allowed to fully exercise their trade union rights by belonging to the industrial unions of their choice.

He thanked President Buhari for revisiting the protracted issue of National Secondary Education Commission (NSEC), and approving the establishment of the commission in May, 2019, while also urging the Federal Government to ensure that the NSEC becomes operational for effective management of secondary education in the country.

Idris, also appealed to President Buhari to assent the bill for upward review of retirement age of teachers into law.

He said the teachers of primary and secondary schools in the country were pleased to note that the eighth National Assembly passed the Bill for review of the retirement age of Teachers/Education Officers from 60 to 65 years.

He added that it was the expectation of teachers that the president woul,d without hesitation, sign the bill into law as an extension of the gesture of the Federal Government to teachers and secondary schools as it was done for their colleagues at the tertiary level in the past.

President Buhari, who was represented by the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, acknowledged the plight of teachers in rural communities and pledged to ensure that policies were urgently enunciated to provide allowances and initiate annual retention benefits for teachers in order to attract them to rural communities.

Buhari said: “The Federal Government shall collaborate with state governments with a view to providing incentives to teachers especially in the rural areas so as to encourage young talents to teaching profession”.

While expressing commitment to providing quality and inclusive education in the country, the president said his administration would give more attention to training and retraining of teachers in order to enhance their capacities for effective service delivery.

The Minister of Education, Malam Adamu, in his speech, condemned attacks on educational institutions over the years, ranging from kidnappings, killings, arson, vandalism to hooliganism.

He, however, noted that to address the challenge, the Federal Ministry of Education endorsed the safe school declaration, while steps were taken to implement “the commitments through policy, financial, pragmatic and political for protection of students, teachers, and schools from armed attack and military use.”

Adamu’ speech was read by the Minister of State for Education, Mr Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba.

He said:  “We are aware that you have requested for extension of retirement age, the Attorney General of the Federation is one of your champions and that bill having sailed through the National Assembly is awaiting presidential assent.”

High point of the event was the presentation various awards to deserving winners. Under the President’s Teachers and Schools Excellence Award, a 50-year-old female teacher, Mrs Elusakin Agnes Iyabo, from Oriwu Senior Model College, Ikorodu, Lagos, emerged the 2019 overall best teacher in Nigeria and was presented with Hyundai Sonata car.

Also, Adebiyi Temitayo  won the overall winner best school teacher private category and was pressented with keys of Hyundai Accent.