Senate
President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, on Wednesday called on government at all
levels to prioritise the payment of salaries and general welfare of teachers at
all levels in order to secure the future of the country.
Saraki
in a statement by his Special Adviser (Media and Publicity), Yusuph Olaniyonu,
in Abuja, to mark this year's Teachers' Day, also congratulated Nigerian
teachers and their counterparts the world over for their sacrificial contribution
to the advancement of knowledge and by extension, world civilization and
development.
Saraki
reiterated his earlier call that Teacher's salaries should be included as an
item in the capital vote of the budget to enable them receive their salaries
and allowances as at when due.
Saraki
said: "There is an overarching need to prioritize teacher's welfare so as
to enable them continue to discharge their duties creditably and effectively
particularly in this age of knowledge. It is only by doing that that we
eliminate a situation where people either reluctantly go into the profession or
go into it as a last option.
"It
is a well established fact that teachers occupy a pristine place in our drive
towards progress and development as a nation. Moreover, Teachers are the
custodians of the repository of knowledge and as such should be seen as an
integral partner towards an enduring development of our educational sector.
"Issues
of capacity building, training and re-training of teachers across the various
tiers of our education architecture must form a fundamental aspect of our
policies and national strategic plans. We must make deliberate and concise
effort to boost teachers' confidence and welfare. Every teacher must be assured
of a minimum safety net during their pre and post retirement life.
"Our
teachers must be effectively protected by the existing pension schemes
irrespective of their level of engagements i.e. Federal, State and at Local
Government levels. Our teachers remain critical to the change we most earnestly
desire in our educational sector in particular and the nation in general. We
cannot afford to treat them any less," he stated.
He
also called on teachers to rededicate themselves to their all important duty of
spreading knowledge and banishing ignorance.
"Our
teachers must possess the necessary wherewithal for effective discharge of
their assignment," he said.
0 Comments