By Ngozi Nwankwo
Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu has said the Federal Government has commenced the national implementation of the New National Teaching Policy in Nigeria.
Adamu said the policy is a holistic package that would ultimately address the career path, remuneration, professional teaching standards, qualification, deployment and management of teachers.
The Minister said this on Monday, at the press briefing commemorating the 2022 World Teachers Day,WTD, and President’s Teachers Excellence Award in Abuja.
He said the theme for the year 2022 WTD, “The Transformation of Education Begins with Teachers” strongly stressed the importance of empowering teachers for the effective transformation of education to ensure quality teaching and learning as well as galvanise technological advancements to meet the ever changing needs for national growth and development.
He recalled that the WTD started in 1994 to commemorate the 5th October 1966 adoption of the UNESCO/ILO recommendation on the need to continually refresh the consciousness of National Governments towards the inestimable value of teachers, their indispensable role in nation building and the importance of repositioning the profession for the attainment and sustainability of quality education.
The Minister urged media join hand to reposition and revitalise the status of teachers for the sustainability of quality education in Nigeria.
” As Nigeria gradually moves towards becoming one of the Teacher Friendly nations in the world, the press is implored to disseminate the information and join hands to reposition and revitalize the status of teachers for the sustainability of quality education in Nigeria,” he said.
In his remarks, the National of the Nigerian Union of Teachers, Comrade Audu Titus Amba thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for sustaining the President’s Teachers and Schools Excellence Award, PTSEA, which has helped to give hope to teachers and promote the dignity of the teaching profession.
According to Amba, this year’s WTD with the theme, “The Transformation of Education begins with Teachers” highlights the critical role teachers are expected to play in transforming and shaping the future of education in the midst of growing societal needs and challenges of the 21st century.
“The event, coming on the heels of the UN-led Transforming Education Summit,TES, seeks to draw public attention to the support teachers need to fully contribute to educational transformation. Indeed, the right number of qualified teachers are needed, and be provided with access to continuing professional development, improved status and working conditions, and be empowered, motivated and supported,” he said.
He thanked Buhari for signing into law the “Harmonized Retirement Age for Teachers in Nigeria Bill” which provides for retirement of teachers on attainment of 65 years or 40 years of pensionable service, and expressed hope he will implement the new retirement age and other approvals announced by the Federal Government at the 2020 edition of the World Teachers Day celebration.
