President Muhammadu Buhari has approved a Special Salary Scale for Teachers in Basic and Secondary Schools, including provisions for rural posting allowance, science teachers allowance and peculiar allowance.
The president also extended teachers’ retirement age to 65 years and the duration of service years from 35 to 40 years.
Nigerian teachers have over the years agitated for the upward review of their retirement age and years of service and have also demanded an improvement in their welfare packages.
The president made the approval in commemoration of the 2020 World Teachers Day (WTD) celebration with the theme, “Teachers: Leading In Crisis, Reimagining The Future”, in Abuja on Monday.
The federal ministry of education said details of the Special salary scale will be worked out by the ministry and made public soon.
Buhari, who was represented by the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, also approved the reintroduction of bursary award to education students in Universities and Colleges of Education with the assurance of automatic employment upon graduation and the payment of stipends to Bachelor of Education students as well as granting them automatic employment after graduation.
Buhari further approved a special pension scheme to enable the teaching profession retain its experience talent.
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He announced that the Tertiary Education Fund (TETFUND) will now fund teaching practice in Universities and Colleges of Education.
According to him, these approvals will attract investment in the teaching profession, improve teachers productivity amd ultimately address the challenges and set Nigeria on the path of industrialization where it’s educational system will produce the needed skills and manpower.
“I am aware that the status and stature of teachers in Nigeria are currently at their lowest ebb. To address these challenges, this administration has undertaken a comprehensive review of its teacher development policy and found huge gaps in both the quantity and quality of teachers at all levels of our educational system.
“Government notes the emergency situation in our educational system with particular reference to the dearth of qualified and dedicated teachers to enhance the quality of teaching and learning at all levels of our educational system. The emerging knowledge economy and the need to attract and retain the best brains in our educational institutions to ensure that our graduates are globally competitive have become more compelling in the circumstance:, Buhari said.
To motivate and restore the “lost glory of teachers in Nigeria”, Buhari further approved ; Building low-cost housing for teachers in rural areas; Prompt payment of salaries and other entitlements including consideration for first line charge in annual budgets; Timely promotion of teachers to eliminate stagnation of teachers; Provision of loan facilities, e.g. for agriculture, housing, cars, motorcycle, etc., to support teachers earnings among others.
The president instructed the ministry of education to facilitate the implementation of the new scheme.
Meanwhile, Buhari commended the resilience of the Nigerian teachers particularly at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, imploring all members of the public to take a moment and appreciate the task of teachers who are true heroes in the fight against ignorance and under development.
The national president, Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), Nasir Idris appreciated the efforts of the Federal Government towards the welfare of teachers, and pledged to work with government and relevant stakeholders to ensure that global best practices in teaching and learning are brought to bear in the nation’s education system.
Idris noted that the impact of COVID-19 on education around the world is quite devastating as more than 1.5 billion students and 63 million primary and secondary school teachers were reportedly affected by the closure of schools worldwide.
In Nigeria, he said available over 39 million youngsters were affected by the schools closure which propelled the use of Distance Learning or Online Learning platforms to keep education ongoing.
He called on government to look forward for take-off National Secondary Education Commission
for proper coordination and effective management of Secondary Education in the country, while calling for implementation of the Thirty Thousand Nara (₦30,000.00) New Minimum Wage to all Teachers in Nigeria without further delay.
