Nigeria’s education sector faced with many challenges —Buhari
•Rewards best teacher, Nwoye, with car
•17 states owing teachers salaries, allowances —NUT
Clement Idoko – Abuja
PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has admitted the challenges confronting the education sector and pledged to address them headlong.
Buhari spoke in Abuja, on Thursday, where he handed over the keys of a new Nissan Almera to Mr Okodo Clement Nwoye, 51, from Anambra State, for emerging the 2017 overall best teacher in Nigeria.
The award was presented to Nwoye by the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, who represented the president at the 2017 World Teachers’ Day celebration in Abuja.
This is coming on the revelation by the national president of Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Comrade Michael Olukoya, that as of the end of September, primary and secondary school teachers were owed from two to 11 months salaries and allowances in 17 states across the country.
Buhari, who pledged to continue to motivate teachers towards improving the standard of education, said the presidential merit award, in which the car was presented to the overall best teacher, was intended to motivate teachers, school administrators and schools at basic and secondary schools.
He said empowering teachers, strengthening the teaching profession and the enthronement of quality education delivery at all levels in the country were among the preoccupations and policy thrusts of his administration.
He added that it was in keeping with the government’s commitment to creating a conducive and safe environment for teaching and learning to flourish that the administration, at inception, tackled the issue of insecurity in the North-East and other parts of the country.
ALSO READ: World Teachers’ Day: Poverty, new media are challenges of teachers ―Okowa
“In spite of the appreciable progress we are making in revitalising the education sector, it is still bedevilled with so many challenges. These challenges are being systematically tackled and addressed.
“The declaration of emergency in the education sector and the launch of the ministerial strategic plan of the ministry were further actions taken to consolidate the education revitalisation,” he said.
Buhari also disclosed that in 2016, more than N50 billion was allocated by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) to colleges of education, polytechnics and universities to support the training of their teachers to obtain higher degrees.
He said the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) had also invested more than N4.4 billion of the 2015 Teacher Professional Development Fund in teacher training.
The president acknowledged that there was more to do to bring the education system to a desirable level to meet up with world’s best, appealed to stakeholders to pay attention to areas that led to skills acquisition, entrepreneurship, creative and innovative education.
Olukoya, in his speech, condemned states owing salaries and allowances due to teachers in spite of the bailout funds made available to them by the Federal government.
He also condemned plans by some state governments to hand
over public schools to the private managers, saying this privatisation and commercialisation of education would increase its cost beyond the reach of the poor.
He, therefore, called on tiers of government to take necessary steps to check this trend and to increase budgetary allocations to the education sector.
NUT demands 65yrs retirement age for teachers
THE NUT has demanded that the retirement of teachers of primary and secondary schools in the country be raised from 60 to 65 years.
Olukoya, at the event, said the retirement age for teachers in the colleges of education, polytechnics and universities was extended to 65 and 70 respectively.
He said that doing the same with the primary and secondary schools would remove the segregation since they all belonged to the same teaching industry.
“The more years a teacher spends on the job, the better he delivers his service to the learners, given the benefit of the experiences gathered over the years and the wisdom of age.
“The older the teacher, the more caring and tolerant he is to the students with improved dexterity in the pedagogy of teaching required over time,” he said.
Some teachers are drug addicts —Kebbi gov
•Exams malpractices, indolence threatening education industry —ASUSS, NUT
•Govs task teachers on nation-building
From Jacob Segun Olatunji, Olayinka Olukoya, Sam Nwaoko, Ado Ekiti, Hakeem Gbadamosi, Yinka Oladoyinbo, Kolawole Daniel, Wale Akinselure, Bodurin Kayode and Michael Ovat
AS teachers in the country join their counterparts in the world to celebrate the World Teachers’ Day, vices threatening the education industry, including drug addiction, indolence, examination malpractices, among others have been identified.
Governor Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State expressed concern over rising cases of drug addiction among teachers in the state and urged the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) to help address the menace.
The governor, in an address to mark the World Teachers’ Day in Birnin Kebbi, organised by NUT and Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS), said the government was also disturbed by the scale of absenteeism among teachers.
Bagudu, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said the two unions must partner the government to address the situation, stressing that “if we pay lip service to lapses in our educational system, we are throwing away the future of our children and our tomorrow’s leaders.
“I was at a community recently during one of my inspections to schools in the state and one of the elders of the community told me that nine out of the 11 teachers in that school are drug addicts and they are well known in the community,” he said.
At the event, ASUSS chairman, Ibrahim Garba, called for payment of promotion arrears to teachers in the state.
The NUT chairman, Ashshibi Dan-Kakale, on his part, called for training and retraining of teachers for better performance.
In Akure, Ondo State chairman of ASUSS, Comrade Dayo Adebiyi, identified indolence and examination malpractices as some of the challenges threatening to destroy the education industry in the state, urged teachers in the state to join in the crusade to reposition the education sector in the state.
“No one can fight these menace better than the teachers
themselves. It is a crusade we cannot afford to lose. Indolent students should be encouraged to face their studies. Laziness should no longer be tolerated while examination malpractices must be fought to a standstill,” he said
The ASUSS chairman also called on teachers to be conscious of the security challenges facing the country and should give priority to the safety of their students.
Chairman on the occasion and secretary of the pan-Yoruba sociopolitical group, Afenifere, Chief Sehinde Arogbofa, called on government to improve on the infrastructural facilities in schools, to make learning easier for both teachers and students.
Kogi teachers blame govt for poor standard
Kogi State chapter of ASUSS, on Thursday, expressed fears over the ability of the state to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on education by 2030.
The secondary school teachers regretted that the education section had been declining in the state with attendant effects on the students being produced by the system.
In a statement by its chairman, Ranti Ojo and secretary, Ogwu Emejeh, ASUSS said there was the need for the state government to brace up and rescue the sector from total collapse.
The teachers noted that the state lacked the requirements to develop the sector like adequate manpower, infrastructures and instructional materials.
Best teachers get cars in Ekiti
The 2017 Teachers’ Day celebration witnessed the usual government car gifts to the best teachers in primary and secondary schools and the tutor-general, with Governor Fayose announcing that this year’s winners would, in addition to the cars, enjoy a week-long vacation to either London or Dubai.
Fayose hailed Ekiti teachers’ efforts in getting the state to come tops in NECO for two consecutive years, and announced automatic promotion to grade level 16 for all level 14 graduate primary school teachers ?in the state..
The governor also gave N100 million cash gift to the teachers, which he said would be paid directly into their personal accounts, while he also promised to increase the cash gift to N150 million if the NECO mad WAEC successes were repeated next year.
Meanwhile, the organised labour in the state has said the detention of the Commissioner for Finance, Chief Toyin Ojo and the Accountant-General, Mrs Yemisi Owolabi, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is delaying the payment of salaries.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in the state said if the EFCC had anything against the government officials, it should charge them to court rather than detaining them ad infinitum.
State chairman of NLC, Ade Adesanmi, represented by his deputy, Gbenga Akosile, decried the continued detention of Ojo and Mrs Owolabi, saying the “continued detention of the commissioner and acountant-general is delaying the payment of salaries to the hungry workers in the state.”
Amosun promises to approve pending teachers’ promotion
Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, has promised to approve pending teachers’ promotion just as he approved the payment of outstanding leave bonus for public servants in the state.
The governor stated this at the Arcade Ground, Oke Mosan, Abeokuta, on Thursday, adding that teachers as well as civil servants would begin to receive their leave bonuses any moment from now.
The Governor noted that the importance of teachers in re-shaping and developing the society could not be quantified, saying the celebration was an opportunity for the professionals to take stock of their roles in nation building.
NUT calls for teacher’s promotion in Anambra
The NUT chairman in Anambra State, Comrade Ifeanyi Ofodile, pleaded with the government to look into the issue of promotion of teachers in the country.
While pointing out that Governor Willie Obiano’s disposition to teaching and learning was encouraging, Ofodile also called on teachers to keep the faith as there was light at the end of the tunnel.
Ambode announces promotion for teachers
Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State described teachers as nation builders, change agents and catalysts for the realisation of any meaningful, functional and effective education delivery to drive national development.
Represented by the deputy governor, Dr Idiat Adebule, the governor said experience had shown that teachers performed better and contributed to national development when they were well-motivated.
“We have approved the promotion of primary school teachers to Grade Level 17 for them to be at par with their counterparts in the civil service.
“We have also approved the recruitment of additional 500 teachers to meet the population of our students and reduce workload on our teachers,” he said.
Senator Oluremi Tinubu, representing Lagos Central senatorial district, urged government at all levels to prioritise policies that could improve the education sector.
NUT laments loss of members to Boko Haram
THE Borno State council of NUT regretted the loss of one of their members to Boko Haram terrorists.
The state NUT chairman, A. Abiso, regretted that his colleague, Zanna Wulgo, who was on a military convoy headed for Gamboru Ngala for an assignment lost his life when he was left alone to fix his car which broke down on the road.
“Our colleague, the chair of the Maiduguri Metropolitan Council chapter of the NUT was killed when his vehicle broke down in a convoy going to Gamboru Ngala for official assignment,” he said.
Oyo NUT wants reinstatement of teachers absolved of allegations
Oyo teachers celebrated this year’s World Teachers Day with a call on the state government to reinstate those teachers who were removed from the payroll but had later been cleared of allegations of certificate racketeering, absenteeism, among others.
Chairman, Oyo NUT, Mr Samuel Akano, at the Teachers’ House, Ibadan, said the reinstatement and payment of outstanding salaries and allowances would end the misery of the affected teachers.
“We shall forever be grateful for the gracious approval of your Excellency for their reinstatement and payment of their salaries and allowances which has been outstanding for more than one year in most of the cases,” Akano said.
Give teachers welfare special attention —Prof Akande
Professor Adeolu Akande,a gubernatorial aspirant in Oyo State, has called on government at all levels in the country to give primacy of place to the affairs of teachers.
Akande said Nigeria should learn from the experience of the developed countries of the world where the renumeration of teachers tower above many other professions.
“An instructive experience was that of Germany where President Angela Merkel recently rebuffed agitations of top public servants for higher wages than what teachers earn by saying she would not pay them salaries higher than those of the teachers who taught them in school,” Akande recalled.
Akande argued that as the people who lay the foundation for every other professions, teachers deserved better renumeration and welfare packages than they received at the moment.
Akande advised that the country should move beyond the average annual budgetary allocation to education, which hovers around 11 per cent and aspire to the 26 per cent recommended by United Nations Educational, Scientifi and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), so that pressing needs in the sector could be taken care of.
Reps want FG to initiate policy to attract teachers to rural areas
The House of Representatives, on Thursday, asked the Federal Government to initaiate policy that would attract teachers to teach in the rural schools and remote locations in the country.
To this end, the House urged House committee on Basic Education and the Ministry of Education to take on policy that would create rural locality allowances and initiate annual retention benefits of 25 per cent of annual salary for five years to attract teachers to rural community.
The House also urged the Universal Basic Education to liase with the state government in providing incentives to rural teachers.
and then