. By Ayodele Abere
The Governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji, has reassured the teachers of the State that he would represent them by defending their interest and ensure that the teaching profession is given a pride of place
The Governor gave the reassurance in Ado-Ekiti Ekiti, the State capital while addressing the teachers during the 2023 World Teachers Day with the theme; “The Teachers We Need For The Education We Want, The Global Imperative To Reverse Teachers’ Shortage”.
Extolling the virtues of teachers, Oyebanji noted that they are critical stakeholders in the education of younger one.
“In Ekiti, we recognise the good role of the teachers and their sacrifices in spite of obvious inadequacies in the system. Ekiti teachers are perfect example of good teachers”.
The Governor described them as a candle that consumes itself to light the way for others.
Highlighting the cogent points of his agenda, the number one citizen of Ekiti State explained that the most urgent need today and in the nearest future is the empowerment of youths, quality education, skill acquisition and innovation.
According to him, to get these achieved, “we have focused the attention on meeting some of your basic welfare including the payment of outstanding salaries, Promotion arrears, leave bonus, car loans among others.
Stressing further, “we recognise your dedication to duty and contribution to the development of our State, we will continue to encourage you to do more”.
Noting that the challenge of Teachers shortage is a global phenomena and that there’s need to have a concerted effort to tackle the challenge, he explained that Ekiti is already tackling the challenge head-on saying his administration has taken two consecutive recruitment exercise since he assumed office.
“As of today, we have cumulatively recruited 1,500 teachers into the primary schools and 500 teachers into the secondary schools, bringing the total number of newly recruited teachers to 2000.
“I want to seek your support more than before in the area of doing your best to ensure that our children are well educated in all the domains of education”, said Oyebanji.
The Governor tasked the teachers on self improvement by taking advantage of the modern technological devices in digital skills, adding illiterate doesn’t mean somebody who cannot read and write alone, but also a person who cannot use the modern technologies that make global citizenry possible.
Briefing the gathering of the news of a teacher from SUBEB Public Primary School, Omuo-Ekiti, Mrs Adeyemi Omolade, who was declared in Abuja as the best public school teacher in Nigeria, Oyebanji congratulated the teachers as he said such would spur them to put more effort.
Earlier in his address, the Chairman, Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in Ekiti State, Comrade Daodu Bamidele Olaitan, going by the theme of the day said, it has always been said that, “the quality of education in a State determines the level of development of the State”
In his word, ” it therefore implies that the quality of education we want is directly proportional to the teachers we have”.
The number one teacher in Ekiti maintained that it’s an incontrovertible fact that vacancies exist in the schools that should be urgently filled for education to be functional and yield what we want
“As long as there are gaps in the quantity and quality of qualified and competent teachers in our schools, there will exist gaps in what we want from our education”.
While appreciating the Governor for the recruitment of new teachers in the State, Comrade Olaitan said it is hoped that such exercise would continue as he said there are still shortage of teachers in school across the State.
Appraising the State Governor following his achievements in some areas which among others include; sustenance of free and compulsory education in the State at Primary, Secondary levels and Technical Colleges that started during the last regime, curbing Teachers’s molestation and child abuse, prompt payment of salaries, allowances and deduction as and when due, payment of running grants to schools and provision of infrastructures to schools, to aid effective teaching and learning, the NUT Chairman also made the following modest requests; immediate implementation of 65 years retirement age and 40 years of service, regular capacity building building for teachers to keep pace with the dynamics of education among others.
The former Vice President of NUT, Comrade Kayode Akosile in a separate interview with journalists urged teachers to always put in their best and pleaded with government to introduce a policy that will make it a subject based for teachers.
According to Akosile, “in primary schools today, a teacher teaches subjects from primary one to six and most of their qualifications are just NCE, B Ed. A teacher that studied CRK, Social Studies will be asked to teach mathematics”. Government should look into it, said he.
The Chairman, Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools, Ekiti State Chapter, Comrade Sola Adigun, said Nigeria with its vast population and diverse cultures, holds tremendous potential for growth and development.
However, he noted that this potential can only be fully realized through a robust education system. “Our teachers are the cornerstone of this system, playing a pivotal role in shaping the minds of the next generation. Yet, the chronic shortage of qualified and motivated teachers in Nigeria threatens to impede our progress.
“The first phrase of the one-sentence theme of this year’s celebration raises two major issues that cannot be inextricably separated or put into a watertight compartment. Analyzing them jointly and severally is fundamental to the understanding of the theme”. Adigun explained.
In his goodwill message, the Executive Chairman of Ekiti State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Professor Femi Akinwumi ably represented by the SUBEB Permanent Secretary, commended the teachers for their hardwork and dedication to duties of training the children by giving them good primary education which according to him is the foundation for further educational development required to make them become true leaders of tomorrow.
Highlight of the occasion was presentation of almost N35 million cash gift to the teachers in different categories.