Politics
Address brain drain, approve 65/40 years retirement act, Oyo teachers urge Gov Makinde
Olusesan Laoye
The Oyo State teachers have called on the governor of the state Engineer Seyi Makinde to urgently address the shortage of teachers in the state, especially in the primary schools across the three geopolitical zones
The request which was made during the Teachers day ceremony, held in Ibadan the Oyo State capital by the chairman of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) Oyo State chapter, Comrade Raji Oladimeji Ismaila.
Comrade Ismaila said that the State needs more teachers to enable the pupils have great attention and improve the standards of learning in the State.
He said that in as much as the teachers in the state are appreciative of the numerous gestures of the present governor in prompt payment of salaries, defragment of backlog of deduction, promotion of all categories of workers, upward review of car loans to teachers and appointments of principals as Permanent Secretaries, they would want the governor not to close his eyes to the approval of implementations of 65/40 years retirement Act of 2022.
Comrade Oladimeji Ismail noted that the implementation of the Act would save the classrooms in Oyo State from emptiness and equally avoid the brain drain in schools, which would accord the the educational system the productive opportunity of “pedagogical transition from the very senior and experienced teachers to the upcoming ones as well as enlisting, Oyo state among the states of the Federation where the Act had been successfully implemented.”
The teachers also asked the government of Makinde not to forget the replacement of retired PS/TG from the pools of remaining candidates who participated and successfully passed the examination but could not secure a substantive posting by then as a result limited vacancies.
According to the NUT chairman, the teachers are anxiously waiting for the governor to approve the payment of 2022 leave allowance to secondaury school teachers and that of the 2023 to all categories of teachers across the state.
Meanwhile, tthree Oyo teachers have been rewarded by the Federal Government as the state pledged that it would continue to make teaching profession very attractive.
The three teachers from the state won awards in various categories during the 2023 Presidential Teachers and School Excellence Award held at the Eagle’s square, Abuja.
This was announced by the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Salihu Abdulwaheed Adelabu, at the celebration of the World Teachers’ Day.
He added that the Oyo State awardees are part of the winners who were drawn from different public and private primary and secondary schools across the country.
Prof. Abdulwaheed Adelabu who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr. Adeniyi Olusanjo at the event held at NUT Model College, Ibadan.
The awardees from Oyo State are Mr. Babarinlo Samson Oluwaseun, Head teacher, Methodist Basic School, Iseyin; Mr. Amoo Joseph, Principal, Government College, Ibadan; and Barrister Odejayi Olatunde Adedamilola, Proprietor, Second Home College, Olodo, Ibadan.
Congratulating the winners, Prof. Adelabu reiterated the Oyo State government’s focus on reforms in the education sector, including recruitment of more teachers into the primary sector of the state.
He said “the recruitment and posting of teachers to all our public secondary schools, prompt payment of salaries and good working condition is now the order of the day. Effort is ongoing to recruit teachers at the primary school level. This has gone a long way in addressing the issue of out of school children, thereby ranking the State as one of the best in the Nation.”
The Commissioner applauded the efforts of all teachers, and the Nigeria Union of Teachers, Oyo State Wing for being pillars of support to the present administration.
Adelabu said studies have shown that acute shortage of teachers is usually caused by poor salaries, poor working conditions and high student-teacher ration, noting that this is a thing of the past in Oyo State.
He therefore, appealed to teachers in the State to reciprocate the good gesture of the government by rendering good service to the state’s education sector.
Also speaking, the Chairman, Oyo State Teaching Service Commission, Pastor Akinade Alamu, applauded Governor Seyi Makinde for making teaching profession attractive in the State.
Pastor Alamu highlighted the Oyo State government’s efforts towards creating a conducive environment for teachers.
He noted that though the profession is still faced with some challenges, the Oyo State Government is poised to make life more meaningful for teachers.
Highlights of the event include presentation of awards to the Chairman of the occassion, Engr. Dotun Sanusi, and a match-past by teachers from all the zones in Oyo State.
The event was graced by stakeholders in the Education sector, including the Ag. Executive Secretary, Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board, Mrs. Olaide Ladipo; Education Secretaries; past NUT chairmen; Permanent Secretaries/Tutor Generals from Ministry of Education among others.
World Teachers’ Day, marked since 1994, was introduced to commemorate the anniversary of the signing of the 1966 International Labour Organisation/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ILO/UNESCO) recommendation concerning the status of teachers.
In 2023, World Teachers’ Day celebrations focuses on the theme “The teachers we need for the education we want: The global imperative to reverse the teacher shortage.”
