Leadership of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) on Tuesday met with President Muhammadu Buhari to present some of the challenges facing teachers in the country.
The delegation was led by the National President of the union, Dr. Muhammed Nasir Idris.
Receiving the teachers, Buhari acknowledged that Nigeria did not have enough teachers, but noted that his administration was addressing the deficit through the N-Power Teach Volunteers scheme under National Social Investment Programme (NSIP).
He assured of the federal government’s readiness to engage more qualified teachers to increase the teacher-to-pupil ratio in the country.
The President said: ‘‘We have created a dedicated platform under the National Social Investment Programme called N-Power Teach, which engages qualified graduates to man the gaps of basic education delivery in Nigeria.
‘‘These N-Power Teach Volunteers are deployed as teacher assistants in primary schools across Nigeria to support existing teachers.
‘‘The aim of this, and many other Government programmes, is to increase the teacher-student ratio at the primary school level thereby enhancing the quality of students moving to secondary schools.
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‘‘I want to take this opportunity to ask all members of Nigeria Union of Teachers to support these programmes and encourage as many qualified and willing graduates to enrol in the teaching profession.”
President Buhari described the teaching profession as one of the noblest of professions, adding that:
‘‘It shapes the character, calibre and future of individuals and nations,” and that “No price is too high for good rewards.’’
He stated further: ‘‘Today, we live in a dynamic world where science and technology drives innovations that virtually touch every aspect of our lives.
‘‘The foundations of today’s changes can be attributed to teachers who, decades ago, in one way or another, shaped the minds of young men and women who eventually grew to become global innovators and inventors from whose works we are benefiting today.
‘‘Nigerians, both at home and abroad, are part of this global breed of impactful change agents.
‘‘Almost everyday, Nigerians are inventing new products or improving existing ones. It is, therefore, our collective duty to continue to encourage and cultivate these minds, by increasing resources available for research and development and improving work environment.’’
The NUT leader in his remarks, commended what he termed the “numerous groundbreaking strides” of the Buhari administration in the education sector.
He identified the giant strides of the government to include;
‘‘Gigantic gains in the anti-corruption crusade, technical defeat of Boko Haram terrorists in the North East, restoration of teaching and learning in the schools of the North-East geo-political zone that were affected by insurgency, securing the release of Dapchi schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram insurgents.”
On some challenges faced by the teachers, the Union leader appealed for presidential assent to the Bill on Teachers Retirement Age, and the Teachers Special Salary Structure (TSSS), among others.
He said the Teachers Retirement Age, when signed into law, would improve teacher-to-pupil ratio in the country, improve teachers retention rate in public primary and secondary schools as well as ‘‘revolutionise and strengthen the profession for the wellbeing of nation’s schools.’’
