NCE holders, may get 310,000 while graduate 350,000, as Buhari revitalizes the education sector

 

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved a special salary scale and new retirement age for teachers in basic and secondary schools across the country.

The gesture,which was announced, yesterday, by the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, was in commemoration of the World Teachers Day.

The President increased the number of service years for the teachers from 35 to 40.

Over the years, Nigerian teachers have continued to agitate among others, an increase in their retirement age, welfare and salaries.

If what the Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, proposed as the new salary scale for its members is what President Muhamadu Buhari approved yesterday, then a new lease of life is in the offing for teachers in the country, as National Certificate of Education, NCE, holders would earn N310,000 monthly, while their university graduate counterparts would take home N350,000.

Since education is on the concurrent list of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), some states, including Kano, Delta and Kogi said yesterday they were studying the development to take informed decision.

But Lagos State argued that the Federal Government cannot dictate to states what to pay their teachers, while Edo State Government said it would do better than the Federal Government.

However, President Buhari, at the 2020 World Teachers Day celebration in Abuja, explained that the implementation of the new teachers salary scheme was to encourage them in delivering better services.

The President also increased retirement age of teachers from 60 to 65, and the number of service years from 35 to 40.

He said these measures are part of ongoing moves by government to revitalize and reposition the teaching profession.

The President said a review of teachers’ development policies had revealed huge gaps in quantity and quality of teachers at all levels of the nation’s education system, adding that the status and morale of teachers were currently at their lowest ebb.

Buhari said implementation of the new policies was to attract best brains into the teaching profession and encourage teachers in delivering better services that would produce quality students who would in turn contribute to national development.

Implementation of the new policies

He said:  “Government notes the emergency situation in our educational system, with particular reference to the dearth of qualified and dedicated teachers to enhance the quality of teaching and learning at all levels of our educational system.

“To address these challenge and set our country on the path of industrialization where our educational system will produce the needed skills and manpower, I have approved to the following:  The reintroduction of bursary award to education students in universities and Colleges of Education, with assurance of automatic employment upon graduation.

“Payment of stipends to Bachelor of Education students as well as granting them automatic employment after graduation is now a government policy.

“The Tertiary Education Fund, TETFUND, will now fund teaching practice in universities and colleges of education, special salary scale for teachers in basic and secondary schools, including provisions for rural posting allowance, science teachers allowance and peculiar allowance.

“Special teacher pension scheme to enable the teaching profession retain its experienced talent and extend teachers’ retirement age to 65 years and teachers service years to 40, create a career path policy for the teaching profession in Nigeria and, teachers conversion programme and ICT training to mitigate the current dearth of qualified teachers in the school system.”