Dr. Alex Otti, the Governor of Abia State, has pledged his dedication to fostering a supportive environment for teachers and students.
Otti announced this during the occasion of the 2024 World Teachers Day Celebration on the theme: “Valuing Teachers’ Voices: Towards A New Social Contract For Education.”
He emphasized that he aims to enhance educational standards and provide teachers with the necessary resources and support to excel in their roles.
“"Our administration recognizes the significance of education, which is why we prioritize it as a key pillar of our governance goals”, He said.
He also stated that he would take the student-teacher ratio into account when hiring more teachers for schools throughout the state.
To make teaching more appealing, the Governor announced that his administration has retrained around two thousand primary school teachers, with retraining for secondary school teachers set to begin in November this year.
The Governor announced that by the end of this year, 100 newly retrofitted public schools will be operational across the state. He also directed the Office of Homeland Security to ensure adequate protection for these schools, prioritizing the safety of teachers, students, and existing facilities.
He stated that his administration has declared a state of emergency in the education sector and introduced new incentives, such as raising the retirement age for teachers to 65 and extending service to 40 years.
Otti also mentioned that his government has eliminated all forms of salary discrimination and assured that regular payment of workers' entitlements will remain a priority.
"As the Chairman of NUT in the state noted, we have raised the retirement age for teachers to 65 years or 40 years of service, depending on individual health and willingness to continue working.
“We have successfully eliminated all forms of salary and allowance discrimination.
“Today, teachers in both primary and secondary schools receive their salaries simultaneously with their civil service counterparts," he stated.
During his remarks, Elder Goodluck Ubochi, the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education and Chairman of the Occasion, congratulated Abia teachers on this year's event.
Ubochi highlighted that the state government regards teachers as essential figures, friends, mentors, role models, guides, and builders.
He stated that this recognition has led to extensive capacity-building programs for educators and substantial infrastructural improvements in public schools to boost overall performance.
He also remarked that Governor Otti has made teachers' welfare a priority and urged the NUT to encourage teachers to reciprocate the Governor's support by fulfilling their responsibilities, emphasizing that the days of truancy are behind us.
In his speech, Comrade Madu Chukwujekwu, the state Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), highlighted that this year's theme, "Valuing Teachers’ Voices: Towards a New Social Contract for Education," acknowledges the vital role teachers play in shaping the future of education.
He emphasized the need for the government to empower teachers to take ownership of their profession, share their expertise, and drive innovation.
Comrade Chukwujekwu also used the opportunity to outline several achievements of the current administration in the education sector, including the approval and implementation of the harmonized Teachers Retirement Act 2022, which raises the retirement age to 65 and service years to 40.
He noted the regular and timely payment of salaries for teachers and civil servants and called for the immediate recruitment of teachers to fill vacancies in public schools.
Additionally, he commended Governor Otti for initiatives in teacher capacity building, particularly in ICT training, as well as the smooth conduct of promotion exercises by education boards. He also praised the revival of the scholarship program, which recently benefited over 5,000 students.
