At last, teachers’ rewards are here as Buhari approves special salary, retirement age for them.

As the world marks Teachers Day, President Muhammadu Buhari has announced a mouth-watering package for teachers including a special salary scale.

He also raised the retirement age from 60 to 65  and years of service from 35 to 40.

Buhari, who announced this in Abuja, instructed the Federal Ministry of Education to facilitate the implementation of the new salary scheme, noting it would encourage teachers to deliver better service.

The theme of this year’s celebration is ‘Teachers: Leading in Crisis, Reimagining the Future.”

He said teachers have the power to shape and reshape the lives of young people and enhance their potential.

The president said: “Only great teachers can produce excellent people and students that will make the future of our country great.

A positive or negative influence of a teacher on any child will have an effect on that child. Therefore, the Federal Government is ensuring quality education.”

Buhari, who was represented by the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, said his administration had resolved to ensure quality education of teachers by giving priority to continued professional development.

According to him, the future of the country depends on quality education for children and that the quality of teachers depends on motivation.

“To address these challenges, my administration has approved the following for teachers and the teaching profession.

“That in order to attract investment in the teaching profession, the quality of the introduction of a bursary award has been restored.

“There will be a special pension scheme to enable the teaching profession to retain its experienced talents as well as extend teachers retirement age to 65 years and the duration of teaching years to 40 years,” Buhari said.

He disclosed that his administration had also approved the building of low-cost housing for teachers in rural areas, sponsorship of teachers, prompt payment of salary, and timely promotion to eliminate stagnation, to motivate and restore lost glory to teachers and teaching in the country.

THE Minister of State for Education, Mr Chukuemeka Nwajuiba, described the teaching profession as the greatest profession in the world which requires adequate recognition and respect.

Nwajuiba noted that the picture of a Nigerian teacher in the 1960s and 1970s, which reflected discipline needed to be replicated.

“In those days, very comfortable and important figures in the society would send their children to a teacher’s house for grooming. That was the teacher then.

“Teacher’s children and those that lived with them became the crème de la crème of the society. The society sadly has tilted towards ephemeral appearances that negate the standard of teachers as role models.

“We think this should stop. Teachers deserve recognition and respect. The first step is to have qualified teachers in practice,” he said.

Nwajuiba disclosed that plan was underway to withdraw unqualified teachers nationwide from the school system through the Teachers Registration Council.

He urged individuals, states, and local government education authorities and corporate organisations to reintroduce a good reward system to boost productivity.

Persecondnews recalls that teachers have been demanding a raise in their retirement age, welfare, and salaries.