Teachers Salary Scale-For Credibility Govt Must make Details Public-Prof. Olagoke
- By solomon2day
- On 09/10/2020
- In News
The Federal Government has reviewed the years of service for teachers in Nigeria from 35 to 40 years and also the retirement age from 60 to 65 years of age, while at the same time introducing a new salary structure.
Even though a cross-section of Nigerians applauds the decision, several others believe that the new salary structure would be difficult to implement in several states. In this interview, the Founder, Spiritual Head and Grand Imam of Shafudeen-in-Islam Worldwide, Prof. Sabitu Olagoke opines that the Federal Government should make public the details of implementation and also introduce a Special Teachers Pension Scheme. Excerpts :
Do you think the new salary structure for teachers in Nigeria, recently announced y the Federal Government and the adjustment of years of service and retirement age are realistic?
The new national teaching policy assigned and approved by President Muhammadu Buhari is an indication that better days await us in Nigeria, probably starting from this government. This is because the teaching service sector has been neglected over the years, making this crucial, fundamental, and primary mainstay of life to mankind highly unattractive for the lack of motivation for teachers, the profession has for long been producing the poorest of the poor of our population with the consequence of the graduates becoming touts and social miscreants.
Components that absorb half-baked products of our schools always go into the loss of goodwill except for train the trainers' cycles of workshops, seminars, and conferences. If the government now feels that it as imperative to sign and approve the new national teaching policy all of us must applaud them and stand by them for proper implementation otherwise it may become another white elephant project.
For example, the introduction of the special teachers' salary scale is long overdue, various governments had always given Nigerians a false sense of hope.
The posers that follow range as 1)Feasibility of executing the project without discontinuity, considering that many states are yet to start paying the new minimum wage of mere N30,000. Gratuities of many teachers are yet to be paid in several states while pension challenges have led to the suffering of many with the consequence of losing some fo them.
This is why the Government must intimate Nigerians on how it plans to go about this policy to give the citizenry maximum assurance.
On the issue of the retirement age from 60 to 65, the government ought to have conducted an opinion poll for correct statistics to justify the new policy.
Suffice it now to say that the government must reconsider the benefits of retiring at 60 or 70 as the nation may benefit from these human resources potentials in the face of the dynamics of activities expected in service. The teaching profession is glorious and fundamental to human growth and development which would affect positively, proficiency in community service and active participation in national development. The new special salary scale for teachers will automatically ned to be supported by also introducing the Special Teachers' Pension Scheme.
Perusing all these, if the government is determined to do it, the present allocation structure needs to be revisited to be in favor of the states and the Local Governments, considering the fact that the number of Primary and Secondary schools are far higher than the number of tertiary institutions we have in Nigeria for them to be able to cope Afterall.
The whole world is clamoring for Education For All(EFA) in the face of global best practices that demand standard quality.
The Federal Government has to put in place an effective monitoring mechanism that would give it the assurance for transparency and accountability through due process in procurement and every transaction.
The government must equally ensure that the teachers and students/pupils justify the new gesture that demands merit in certification. This is to allow our graduates to be attitudinally fit and professionally capable in the competitive market of labor justification.
Education Nigeria Nigeria Union of Teachers Prof. Sabitu Olagoke