President Bola Tinubu has said his administration will leave no stone unturned in ensuring teachers’ welfare and quality education at all level.
The President gave the assurance on Saturday during the celebration of the 2024 World Teachers’ Day Celebration with the theme ‘Valuing Teacher Voices: Towards a New Social Contract for Education’ in Abuja
Represented at the event by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Sen. George Akume, the president maintained that teachers’ welfare and quality education were crucial to women empowerment, prevention of diseases and reduction of poverty among others.
He said: “There is no gain saying that the Federal Government of Nigeria presently places emphasis on the teaching profession as enshrined in the National Policy on Education.
“This policy states amongst the goals of teacher education, to produce highly motivated, conscientious and efficient classroom teachers at all levels of our educational system, provide teachers with the intellectual and professional background adequate for their assignment”, Tinubu added.
While noting that government policies and legislations have ensured availability, accessibility, professional development, motivation, monitoring and evaluation system, in practical terms, the President said that painstakingly, teachers made efforts to develop themselves in the use of the emerging technologies for their teaching purposes.”
In his remarks at the event, the Minister of State for Education, Dr Yusuf Sununu, who congratulated teachers for their tireless efforts targeted at nation building, assured the Federal Government was fully committed to ensuring that teachers are empowered and equipped for the task ahead.
The minister said: “In spite of the challenges you face, your commitment remains unwavering, and for this, we are deeply grateful.
“You are the foundation upon which the success of our education system rests, and without you, the future we envision for Nigeria would not be possible.
“As we celebrate today, it is important that we also reflect on the significant role education plays in national development. Education is not just about imparting knowledge; it is about building a nation.
“We are working diligently to improve teacher training, professional development, and working conditions across the country”, he added.
Sununu also disclosed the ministry was expanding access to new technologies and resources to ensure that Nigerian teachers could deliver world-class education, even in the most remote areas.
He stressed that this initiative required the support of all stakeholders, hence the need for state governments, private sector, civil societies, and international development partners to join hands with the federal government in the mission.
The minister maintained: “Together, we can create an education system where teachers are not only appreciated but also fully empowered to contribute their expertise in shaping our policies and driving positive change.”
Earlier in his speech, the National President of Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Comrade Audu Amba, rued the non-implementation of some welfare packages for teachers announced by the former President Muhammadu Buhari administration during the 2020 World Teachers’ Day.
He, therefore, urged the federal and state governments to ensure full implementation of the approved incentives in order to boost the morale of teachers to professionally perform statutory roles in the nation’s development.
Amba listed some of the incentives to include, payment of special salary scale for teachers in basic and secondary, reintroduction of bursary award to education students in universities and colleges of education.
Others are Special Teachers Pension Scheme to enable the teaching profession retains its experienced talents as well as extend teachers’ retirement age among other incentives.
The NUT President commended teachers for their courage and sacrifices in the face of daunting challenges, and charged them to continue to uphold the ideals of the profession.
