Qualified teachers a priority for government, says Plan

Qualified teachers a priority for government, says Plan

0
739
A makeshift school on a camp for displaced people in Abuja

The humanitarian group Plan International has called for the Nigerian government to make quality teachers backing education a priority, insisting quality teachers is a right

“The right to education means the right to a qualified teacher,” said Hussaini Abdu, country director for Plan International Nigeria.

He called on government “to prioritise improvement in teachers’ education, better investment in in-service training of existing teachers, creation of relevant incentives for teachers and further recruitment of qualified teachers.”

It comes amidst new data indicating nearly 13.2 million children out of school across Nigeria, especially in the northeastern region.

In a message on World Teachers Day, Plan said it identified with Nigerian teachers given “their sense of commitment in spite of lack of appropriate motivation from the Nigerian state, their perseverance and tenacity in the face of the state’s gradual abdication of its responsibility in the provision of enabling environment for impartation of knowledge.

The group says it already works with some 700 teachers in the north east where it pays better incentives and helps train and provide teacher kits.

“We salute the enduring spirit of the teachers who spend most of their productive and working lives shaping the future of little ones despite the poor remuneration and sometimes having to wait for salaries that never come.

“We also praise the courage of teachers in the conflict affected zones in the country, who in spite of the murder of teachers and continued risks to their lives, have remained committed to the daunting task of teaching in fragile environment.”

NO COMMENTS

LEAVE A REPLY