The Association of Nursery and Primary Education Instructors in Nigeria (ANPEIN) has appealed to governments, school owners and stakeholders to increase and improve teachers’ welfare in the country.
The National President of the association, Mr Simeon Fowowe, made the plea in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lagos, to celebrate the World Teachers’ Day.
NAN reports that the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in 1994 created the World Teacher’s Day, to especially celebrate teachers on every Oct. 5 for the vital roles they play in the development of each individual.
The theme of the 2021 Teachers’ Day is: “Teachers at The Heart of Education Recovery”.
Fowowe said that governments and other stakeholders need to double their efforts and interest in teachers by making their welfare a top priority.
“All products in the market, rents, bills and other utilities have ridiculously increased and yet only teachers salaries have not increased.
“In the last one year, our understanding of teaching and learning and the conditions under which a professional teacher teaches have significantly changed.
“Teachers now work under the new normal scheme, they now wear many hats before they significantly influence the learners,” he said.
Fowowe pointed out that only qualified teachers could confront the crisis in the world educational crisis.
“The theme is apt because of the fact that the world is dealing with a major crisis which can be ameliorated by the teachers.
“The pandemic of coronavirus has forced many practitioners to opt out of teaching because of the suffering they experienced during the lockdown.
“Many teachers were not paid for nine months, leaving them and their families in serious agony.
“And without teachers in right quality and number, our educational system may not recover easily from the agony created by the lockdown,” he said.
Fowowe urged teachers to understand teaching process as one of the surest ways to survive the post COVID-19 era. (NAN)
