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Heaven Awaits Nigerian Teachers By Hakeem Babalola
A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops….Henry Adams
The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has stood its ground against what it perceives as unfair and cruel treatment by the Federal Government who has been preventing its members from having the same rights as other people have. NUT is pressing for the implementation of the Teachers Salary Structure which basically means more money. But the Federal Government is adamant saying, a teacher’s reward remains in heaven.
Minister of State for Education 2, Hajiya Aishatu Jibril Dukku, was reportedly said that even if the Federal Government were to implement the Teachers Salary Structure, not all teachers would benefit from it because “a bulk of them is not qualified to be called teachers”. Dukku, like Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, has urged the aggrieved teachers to take their case to the National Assembly or state governments saying, the Federal Government has no powers to fix salaries for states.
According to Dukku, the issue is lingering because the NUT wants a centralised formula for the TSS whereas there is a clear cut of responsibility between the Federal, States and Local Governments. She wants us to believe that unqualified teachers are just hiding under a cover of NUT to push their demands. Brilliant thought! But what of those who are qualified? Or is Madam Dukku telling us that all teachers in Nigeria’s schools are not qualified? And whose fault it is if unqualified teachers remain in the establishment?
It seems to me that whichever arm of the government involved in this TSS is playing hanky-panky with the NUT. Otherwise the case should be so simple that there would not have been any argument over which establishment to be contacted. For the fact that the issue is ‘lingering’ just because the NUT is contacting the wrong arm of government says a lot about how things work in Nigeria. It seems there’s no clear cut policy; no effective communication; no preparation for emergency cases and so on.
Due to the sensitivity of their job, teachers must be prevented from going on strike under any circumstance. But who cares about the quality of education in today’s Nigeria? Who cares whether Ade or Chioma or Muhammad receives qualitative education or not? The situation has even reached a point where one is forced to think that various governments are killing education in disguise for the purpose known to them. Now you know why the late Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu had so many thugs to cater for.
Part of the problem facing teaching in the contemporary world, according to analysts, is that its status as a profession has been undermined by the contemptible view that only what makes money is desirable. When people lose sight of the invisible rewards on offer in different avocations, many kinds of work that make the world a better place suffer a loss of talent. I believe this statement to be true in Nigeria today. Successive governments have waged war against education system in Nigeria. No wonder many qualified teachers have left the country in search of better offers. Is it that difficult to regulate their living standard?
When teachers go on strike, it’s obvious who suffer. That is why a four-year course now runs for five to six years in Nigeria. That is why many employers are crying that Nigerian students lack necessary skills to integrate them into employment society. That is why most of them have found solace in cultism, armed robbery, prostitution and sugar daddy’s toys. An idle mind, they say, is the devil’s workshop. A serious government would prevent teachers going on strike by all means – at least for the sake of its children.
Gone are the days when Nigerian teachers were teachers; when they naively believed their rewards were in heaven. Today’s Nigerian teachers have woken up, aggressive as their counterparts in politics, police, and the media. Their demand for increase in salary is justified. After all, they don’t get brown envelope or N20. Well, those in the Higher Institutions have hand-outs to sell, but we are talking about primary and secondary schools for now. How could our teachers survive with the current salary structure? I believe the current situation whereby teachers can’t even eat three meals a day would hinder their performance.
It’s simply injustice if a local chairman or a governor or a senator who does nothing receives fat salary and allowances while a teacher receives meagre income. Teachers are not fools. They read everyday how much money their politician counterparts stole from the public treasury. They read how in spite of this act of robbery, politicians still receive honour here and there. They see and read how their counterparts in the media are building mansions. Do you then blame them for demanding their rewards here on earth?
But teaching is much more than that. It cannot be compared with any other profession in terms of its significance. A nation cannot talk about progress while making its teachers suffer. Perhaps it’s what Aristotle had in mind when he says, “teachers should be more honoured than parents, for whereas parents give their children life, teachers give their children a good life”.
Of course everyone knows that teaching has never been a highly paid profession despite its importance. Hence the coinage, “A teacher’s reward is in heaven”. Teaching, I strongly believe, is not for the undedicated mind. A teacher must be patient at all times. That’s why “it was once a highly respected (profession), and the status enjoyed by teachers helped compensate them for the dedication and difficulty involved in their vocation,” says one A. C. Grayling in his book, “The reason of Things”.
As for now, I don’t have any solution for the on-going strike. As in many other issues affecting Nigeria, there are plenty solutions but none of which the Federal Government is willing to implement. Maybe it’s a cause on the nation to have people like these at the helm of affairs. They are all pretenders masquerading as genuine and caring leaders. I ask: why do governments treat teachers as people who must be paupers?
I would never respect a government that allows its teachers to go on strike under any circumstance. How could teachers’ salary be a problem when a Iyabo Obasanjo and her staff could party with a surplus of millions of naira; when a Minister could withdraw N31bn in 6 days for nothing; when a governor could celebrate birthday in such a fanfare with the public fund; when they are building mansions at home and abroad….. God dey sha!
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