School teachers in Niger state are asking for an extension of retirement age for teachers, removal of stagnation on promotions and enhancement of their salaries.
The teachers made these demands at the World Teachers’ Day 2024 celebration held at Justice Legbo Kutigi International Conference Centre in Minna, the Niger State capital.
Chairman of Nigeria Union of Teachers in the state, Akayago Muhammed lamented that primary school teachers in the state have been denied their rights by the government.
Muhammed listed the challenges faced by primary school teachers to include lack of implementation of domestic servant allowance being enjoyed by secondary school teachers since 2018, stagnation of promotion of those on grade level 16, and non-implementation of annual increment since 2015, among others.
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But in his own remark, the Executive Director of the State Teacher Professional Development Institute, Mustapha Lemu, who was the keynote speaker, said the welfare of teachers was not as important as the Nigeria Union of Teachers had painted it, saying there are more pressing issues to be tackled.
This statement did not go down well with some teachers.
However, the state Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Hadiza Mohammed, assured the teachers that government would look into their demands with a view to addressing them.
Some teachers, both retired and serving, were rewarded with awards, cash and food items, gifts to coincide with the theme, ‘Valuing Teachers Voice; Towards A New Social Contract for Education’.
(Editor: Okechukwu Eze)
