HDI CANVASSES BETTER LIFE FOR TEACHERS, EDUCATION AS 2020 TEACHERS DAY HOLDS

Owasanoye, HDI,Executive Director

 Human Development  I Initiatives (HDI), a non profit and non governmental organisation has called on those in authority to make teaching profession more attractive and work more on education for a better tomorrow in Nigeria.

This statement was contained in a press release made available to this medium as the world celebrates world teachers day today. The organization's Program Manager, Johnson Ibidapo said, “Every 5th October is a special day dedicated, all over the world, to celebrate teachers and advocate on issues directly affecting the teaching profession. Human Development Initiatives (HDI) in collaboration with Action Aid Nigeria with the support of NORAD organized a one-day Education Stakeholders’ meeting in Lagos State to articulate some of these issues as schools are reopening after a long lock down period; and to come up with strategies for supporting a sustainable free, quality, equitable, inclusive and resilient publicly funded education safe for both teachers and for all children.

He added that, “Realising that the education sector has been in crises long before now, and that COVID-19 pandemic  only further exposed the frailty of the public education and the vulnerability of teachers in Nigeria; the Stakeholders at the event called on the Lagos State Government to increase education budget to address many infrastructural challenges especially WASH and ICT gaps; and prioritize improving teachers’ training, increase in teachers’ salaries and their general welfare in the State. Without a new generation of motivated teachers, millions of children in Lagos State will miss out of quality education and will continue to miss out unless adequate measures are taken urgently to restore dignity and professionalism into teaching service.

Ibidapo, programme officer

“Teachers play pivotal roles in ensuring the delivery of the global Sustainable Development Goal of ensuring quality education for all by 2030. This goal cannot be achieved in the face of rising attrition rate of professional teachers, domination of the profession by non-professionals; weak institutional system to promote cooperative teaching and quality learning output as a critical barrier to achieving inclusive education which is a global trend in education and a key component of the future of education for developing countries. The teaching profession remains in crisis in the face of poor teachers’ remuneration and welfare making the profession unattractive; andand generally poor teaching and learning environments.

"In the spirit of this year’s World Teachers’ Day, “Teachers: Leading in Crisis, Re imagining the Future”, the stakeholders present at this workshop renewed their demand for a total quality public education system for both teachers and all children in Lagos State and therefore recommended the following, among others:

"The Lagos State Government should enforce compliance to TRCN Act in recruitment of teachers in both public and private schools as part of efforts to standardize the teaching profession. Teachers Education curriculum in Higher Institutions be overhauled and rejigged to follow the global best practice. Cooperative teaching manual should be developed and introduced into the curriculum as well as into teaching practice.

"Special incentives for special need teachers should be introduced to attract skilled

professionals and drive the process of achieving full inclusive education system in Lagos State. These special incentives should include but not limited to prioritizing teachers with certified training in special education in teachers’ recruitment, higher remuneration, housinghousing, and transportation service, in addition to other social welfare supports.

"Training and retraining of special need teachers should be prioritized and teaching aids
should be made available in all existing inclusive schools. The Lagos State Government through the Ministry of Education should develop performance indicators for every teachers’ training programme and ensure evaluation of teachers’ performance after such training in order to encourage quality teaching and learning outcomes; while ensuring value for tax payers’ money.

"The Lagos State Government should ensure regular supply of WASH facilities in schools; fortify its monitoring system to enforce COVID-19 protocols compliance in all schools in the State including all private schools; conduct integrity test of school structures; and build/equip healing bays in schools with qualified health officers manning the unit.

"The Lagos State Government should ensure strict application of education policy in the drafting of education budget; widen stakeholders’ participation including State Union of Teachers, association of persons with disabilities and recognized network of Civil Society Organization in the education sector in developing education budget and tracking its implementation.

"There is need for Public Private Partnership in funding teachers’ welfare and government should always give teachers high quota in their housing programs. Fencing of all public schools should be prioritized to provide safe and conducive environment for teaching and learning. Incentives should be given to teachers in rural areas to ensure retention of teachers in rural communities."