Dr Nasir Idris, National President of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) on Tuesday joined others to commend the doggedness of Nigerian teachers.
The NUT president gave the commendation at the 2021 World Teachers’ Day celebration in Abuja on Tuesday.
Idris, who said Nigerian teachers had been able to excel through thick and thin, noted that the COVID-19 Pandemic compounded the problems of teachers in the country.
He, however, commended President Muhammadu Buhari for coming up with policy and programmes to change the fortune of teachers.
He commended the sustenance of the President’s Teachers and School Excellence Award and the continued hosting of the annual World Teachers’ Day celebration at the national level.
He also commended other stakeholders for their support and contributions toward the smooth observance of the day, “which is globally recognised”.
On the 2021 World Teachers’ Day theme, “Teachers at the Heart of Education Recovery”, the NUT president said it was apt, considering the devastating impact of COVID-19 on the education sector.
“The COVID-19 crisis has expanded the role of teachers and placed greater burden on them as they were challenged to appreciate the
“new normal”, embrace the use of technology in education and build their capacities.
“Teachers are also challenged to be resilient, creative and innovative to be able to meet the new trends and challenges of the rapidly changing world.
“To keep teaching and learning is ongoing, teachers had to adopt remote or distance learning methods, and to ensure that no learner is left behind.
“They also took up the duty to assess and identify learning losses and applied recovery measures such as accelerated learning programmes to reduce learning gaps,” he said.
He said adopting the new normal meant that teachers needed to be adequately equipped, empowered and supported to be effective in carrying out the task of education recovery among others.
On some issues of concern to teachers and the education system, Nasir called for establishment of National Senior
Secondary Education Commission (NSSEC).
He also raised concern over the heightened insecurity in schools across the country.
He called on the federal and state governments, and individuals to work together in restoring order and peaceful coexistence for safety of schools and host communities.
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He also harped on implementation of National Minimum Wage by state governments and non payment or delayed payment of primary school teachers’ salaries by states.
Idris urged the Federal Ministry of Education to ensure that the teachers of Unity Schools were allowed to organise themselves and participate in NUT activities.
While praying for teachers and students, who have lost their lives to insecurity and other causes, Idris congratulated those who won awards at the event.
Meanwhile, Nigerian teachers were commended in a joint message from
Ms Audrey Azoulay, the Director-General of UNESCO, Mr Guy Ryder, Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO), Ms Henrietta Fore, Executive Director of UNICEF, and Mr David Edwards, General Secretary of Education International.
They commended the exceptional dedication and courage of all teachers as well as their capacity to adapt and innovate under very challenging and uncertain conditions.
They noted that teachers were at the heart of global education recovery efforts and were critical in accelerating progress toward inclusive, equitable and quality education for every learner, in every circumstance.
They disclosed that Sub-Saharan Africa alone required 15 million more teachers to reach the education goals by 2030, saying surmounting the challenges required commitment, investment and innovation
They called for teachers’ well-being, adequate remuneration and safety, including their prioritisation for vaccination together with other critical workers for successful education recovery.
They lamented that nearly two year after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, many education systems were still facing significant disruptions.
According to them, students and teachers in close to 60 countries were affected by full or partial school closures.
“The pandemic has shone a light on the irreplaceable value of the teaching profession in society but also on the difficult working conditions facing many teachers.
“Teachers have been on the frontlines to ensure learning continuity when schools were closed and to provide socio-emotional support to their students, especially the most vulnerable ones.”
The highpoint of the event was the presentation of awards ranging from cars, buses, refrigerators other prizes to outstanding teachers, administrators and schools across the 36 states of the federation.
There was also match past by various states, with the Federal Capital Territory(FCT) coming first.
Meanwhile, the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, the Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba and other dignitaries were in attendance.
World Teachers’ Day is celebrated annually on October 5.
