The Nigerian Government has inaugurated a Committee for the implementation of the new Special Teacher Salary Scale.
This was disclosed by the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, at the inauguration of the national implementation committee on the revitalization and repositioning of the teaching profession for the newly approved salary scale.
What you should know
Nairametrics reported last month that the Federal Government announced the approval of a special salary scale for teachers across the country. The approval comes as an incentive by the FG to mark this year’s World Teachers Day.
The Federal Government also announced plans to hire teachers with First Class or Second Class Upper (2.1) as a minimum requirement, in a new career path policy for Nigerian teachers.
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The Education Minister urged the Committee to begin the process of improving Nigeria’s education sector to meet 21st century needs and acknowledged the need for improved welfare of Nigerian teachers.
“I urge you to accord it all the importance it deserves and hopefully reverse the years of neglect of our teachers and begin the process of revamping our educational system, that will be responsive to the 21st-century demands.
“The universally accepted dictum states that no system can rise above the quality of its teachers. Unfortunately, our story has been that of the neglect of the teaching profession with all the attendant consequences in brain drain, poor incentives to the teaching profession, and poor quality graduates.
“There was, therefore, clamor for improved general welfare and conditions of service for the teaching profession across all tiers of government,” he said.
He added that the competence and dedication of teachers should determine the quality of graduates the Nigerian education sector produces and disclosed the Committee would introduce a strategy for implementation and presented it to the Council Meeting before the end of the year.
Will the FG mandate all the states to pay the new scale as some states may not be willing to comply? How soon will it be actualize?