By Alade Adisa
Almost five years after several welfare packages were announced for teachers in the country, the federal and state governments have only made limited progress, as most of the promises remain unfulfilled.
Investigations by New Daily Prime revealed that the federal government (FG) has only increased the retirement age for teachers from 60 to 65 years and extended the years of service from 35 to 40 years.
Some states have implemented this change, but notably, Lagos State has yet to adopt it or approve any of the promised welfare packages for teachers in its employment.
Among the promised packages were establishment of a Special Salary Scale, retirement age extended to 65 years or retirement by service at 40 years. Other benefits included: rural and science allowances, peculiar allowance, automatic admission and tuition-free education for teachers’ children at their workplaces, automatic recruitment of Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) graduates, stipends or special allowances for B.Ed students, bursary awards for education students in colleges and universities
Additionally, the government pledged to fund teaching practices through TETFund, enhance employment opportunities for graduating students in the education sector, and establish a special Teachers’ Pension Scheme.
However, the promises made by the then Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, during the 2020 Teachers’ Day celebration, have largely remained unfulfilled. He made these commitments on behalf of the former President, Muhammadu Buhari.
Commenting on the situation, the Lagos State Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Comrade Akinteye Hassan, urged the Lagos State government to honour its promises.
“We know that education is on the concurrent list in the constitution, and all tiers of government have a role to play. These packages will undoubtedly enhance the welfare of teachers and motivate them to put more effort into their work. Some states and the FG have approved the new retirement age, and others should follow suit. We understand the economic challenges, but failing to implement these schemes is not in the best interest of teachers or society at large,” he said.
The immediate past Registrar of the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), Prof. Josiah Ajiboye, expressed optimism that the efforts made by all stakeholders to secure these promises from the FG would not be in vain.
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