Nigeria’s Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman has said that efforts are on to make the teaching profession in Nigeria a job of first choice rather than last resort.
The minister stated this during a media briefing in Abuja, to commemorate the 2023 World Teachers Day with the theme: “The Teacher We Need for the Education We Want: The Global Imperative to Reverse the Teacher Shortage.“
He said the ministry is weary of the challenges being faced by teachers including welfare, training, dwindling numbers and quality.
He said to reduce teacher shortages, there was the need for stakeholders to put on thinking caps to bring in more qualified and talented people as well as retain the best needed for the sector through enduring incentives, a task he said the federal government is ready to do its part.
“The sector is witnessing dwindling numbers and dwindling quality.
“Teachers are finding it difficult in the long run of the ladder and struggling whether their take-home pay can take them home.
“Teaching has to be a job of first choice and not a job of last resort as it obtains now. This we are committed to do. In the West teaching is a lucrative job but here the reverse is the case, this must change,” he said.
He explained that the commemoration of World Teachers Day was organized to showcase the standing of the ministry and draw attention to the challenges of teachers.
He said as part of the event, a symposium and presentations of Excellence Awards to outstanding schools and teachers have been scheduled.
On the spike of attacks and kidnapping of students, Mamman said the ministry is making more effort to safeguard schools across the country.
“We pray for the victims to be released soonest. We are in contact with the security agencies urging them to do more in safeguarding the schools, as much as we are planning to fence more schools,” he said.
The minister took a swipe at retired teachers who are resisting going back to class after the 65 years of age retirement grace given to them. He said that the ministry at the end will weigh its big stick on them.
“We urged them not to resist but go back and continue the mentoring, the modelling, the training of young teachers. Teaching is the only work you do not get old for,” he said.
According to him, the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration would continue to give top priority to teachers and the education sector in general as indicated by the 25/% budget allocation promised to the sector.
In a remark, the National President of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, comrade Audu Titus Amba urged all tiers of government to give due attention to the acute shortage of teachers being experienced in many schools, especially in the basic education subsector.
He called on the incumbent government to activate the teacher policy of the immediate past regime which includes: an extension of the retirement age to 65 years, payment of a special salary scale for teachers, and sponsorship for annual refresher training to attract the best brains into the teaching profession.
He appreciated the ongoing efforts of the Federal Ministry of Education as it would yield results for future learners, and enhance the growth and development of the country, just as he promised to ensure that the Union contributes its quota in building a great nation.
