President Muhammadu Buhari recently approved a special salary scale for Nigerian teachers and also increased years of service from 35 to 40 during the World Teacher’s Day.
Buhari who was represented by the Minister of Education Adamu Adamu at the event said the essence of the special salary and increased years of service is to encourage the teachers in delivering better services. Some teachers expressed their views on this development.
Magdalyn Madaki, 37, Teacher, Jos
The teaching profession has passed through many things in this country, so we thank Mr President for these policies.
I believe teachers in Nigeria are very happy but our fear is the implementation.
- Buhari’s ground-breaking investment in teachers
- Teachers’ Day: Celebrating the fathers of all professions
If it is well implemented, it will also bring respect to teachers and the educational system.
This will improve the quality of teaching and learning at all levels of our educational system.
People do say a teacher’s reward is in heaven what if the teacher does not make it to heaven?
Please let us enjoy our reward here on earth.
Ayeni Raphael, 28, Teacher, Ado-Ekiti
It is a good policy from President Muhammadu Buhari.
He made the pronouncement at a time that the whole world is expecting teachers to have a better life.
But then, it should be noted that while teachers are happy about this, what would be the fate of private school teachers.
Would the same thing be applicable to private school teachers, would they have the same benefits as pronounced by the government of the day?
But then, if private school teachers would benefit from this, I would say it is the best thing that has happened to Nigeria at this point in time.
Mike Oluwadare, 40, Teacher, Ado-Ekiti
Teachers have been expecting a new salary scale for a long time.
The occupation is the grassroots of other occupations.
The salary is supposed to have been upgraded before now.
Teachers are nation builders.
They should be earning more but quite unfortunate that the conditions teachers find themselves is not palatable.
We thank God that the present administration made the declaration, the teachers will now be happier and with the years of retirement, Nigeria would gain more for growth and development.
My fear is for teachers in the private sector.
I hope they would also benefit.
Rilwamu Ubale, Teacher, 35, Bauchi
If the new salary scale is implemented, the standard of education will improve.
The sufferings of teachers would end.
I do not support the increment in the years of service or retirement because it will create blocks the chances of young and vibrant teachers to be enrolled.
Akeem Lasisi, Chairman, Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS), Abeokuta
I think teachers deserve the best.
Teachers deserve good welfare packages.
But on the issue of increased service years, I don’t want us to mix politics with the welfare of teachers.
I believe the nation is not ripe enough to increase the service years from 35 years 40 years.
I am a beneficiary and I will equally benefit from this but in a situation where the rate of unemployment is very high, we need to be very careful.
We cannot compare the work of a university lecturer with that of a secondary school or primary school teacher.
At over 60 years of age, you may not be useful and relevant in the service. Also, there are political and realistic statements.
We don’t know whether this is a political statement or a reality.
I want us to be cautious in mixing politics with the future of our children.
Titilope Adebanjo, Ogun State NUT chairman
It is a welcome development. It has been a struggle we embarked upon for a while now.
And thank God President Muhammadu Buhari during the last teachers’ day celebration made teachers happy by giving them more opportunities to serve.
With all these goodies from the president, I just have to appeal to our state governors to quickly domesticate it so that teachers from the state can benefit from it.
Sola Adigun, Chairman, Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS), Ado-Ekiti
The announcement by President Muhammadu Buhari, on October 5, 2020, during the celebration of teachers is a welcome development.
I know teachers all over the country would be excited because we have been on the struggle for a special salary scale.
We believe this will improve the commitment and quality of education.
The government has come to realise that the teaching profession is the bedrock of any development in any country.
No country can develop or grow without the teachers and for the president to have announced his approval; this is a great gesture for the profession.
This will encourage the best brains to be retained in the teaching profession.
On the retirement age, it is also a welcome development.
It will also allow people that are still agile to contribute to the educational development in the country.
The president and all stakeholders should ensure speedy implementation.
Azi Aware, Teacher, 35, Jos
The new salary scale will help uplift the standard of education in the country.
This will enable teachers to plan properly for classes because, with the poor salary structure, some teachers had to venture into other activities and jobs to enable them to sustain their families.
The gesture will also strengthen public education because the teachers will give their best and students will equally perform well.
The government should also annual budgetary allocation to education to 26 per cent as recommended by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Education is a legacy nation bequeaths to her citizens. Quality education can eradicate poverty, youth restiveness.
We are ready to serve this nation with all our strength.
Martha Gyang, Head Mistress, Jos
This is a good policy from President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration and we are happy.
The president should ensure that this policy is fully implemented because that has been our problem as a nation.
Teachers in this nation have been suffering over the years, and anything that will uplift their welfare is a welcome development.
It is because of the poor state of teachers’ welfare and well-being that many qualified people don’t want to go into the teaching profession.
But should President Buhari ensures its full implementation, it would be a good legacy.
Ahmad Abdulwahab, 30, Bauchi
The new salary scale is a good initiative because it will improve the mindset of teachers.
But with the increased years of service, what about will younger generations, how would they fit into the system.
The government should have a rethink about the increase of age service.
Samuel Luka, 35, Bauchi
The new salary scale will revitalize the education sector because teachers are like lights to every society and by prioritizing their take-home packages, the standard of education in Nigeria will improve.
The government made the policy on increasing the years of service in the interest of reducing the high number of jobless graduates.
I think the fall in the standard of education we are witnessing today is due to poor remuneration of teachers and not the number of years of service.
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