Teaching, profession more relegated to Nigeria – Amba

The national president of Nut, his partner Audu Amba, expressed this concern in an interview with our corresponding Sunday in Abuja.

“The teachers in Nigeria are the most relegated set of people. While all professionals are given the necessary attention by the government, teachers are not, especially primary school teachers.

“Since we are right now in the territory of the federal capital (FCT), the teachers of the elementary school are on strike for so many months.

“I think this should be the fourth time they went on strike due to the minimum wage N70.000 which has been implemented practically for all the public employees of the FCT.

“While this relegation is so visible, the government will sit there and say they have an interest in education. It is ridiculous,” he said.

Amba said that it is ironic that those who have the helm of business that dictate the fate of teachers and make them less important, once they have been taught by teachers.

“Even within the local government system, where the elementary school draws on their salaries, pay their main workers and exclude primary school teachers.

“Where the hell are these things done? And do you expect the teachers to continue to be patient. Do you expect teachers to continue to be silent?

“We go to the same market, we belong to the same community, pay the same rent as the house, we go to the same hospital, just like any other Nigerian.

“Whatever someone has become in this country today, once it has been taught by teachers, and this is the same profession we are looking at below.

“It is discouraging that we allow teachers to strike, especially in the FCT, the seat of power,” he said.

Amba urged governments to pay priority attention to the basic education of the country by stating that elementary school is the basis of learning.

According to him, the funding is fundamental to achieve set objectives and when there are inadequate funding for education, there is no way that the nation will be able to do it well.

He added that no country thrives without a good standard for the basic educational system and, as such, the government must intensify the effort to ensure that its right place is given in governance.

“Countries that have obtained more funds for education well. When there are no sufficient funding for education, we will have no way that we will be able to do it well.

“Once we are able to get it at the basic level, we will reach the desired reforms,” ​​he said.

The president of Nut recalled that in the 70s, basic education received the utmost attention from the then government and many of the current political leaders were beneficiaries at the time

“Then, the primary schools were not overcrowded and each child had a seat and a locker for themselves, but now the pupils sit on the naked floor to learn.

“We had free books and a locker in which you could block them and you could go home, only with those who have been assigned you an assignment for that day.

“We should ask ourselves, is it what is reachable today? The answer is No. The pupils are taught in dilapidated school blocks, some without roofs while sitting on the ground naked.

“I agreed that in the 70s the population at that time was not as we did today, but we did not plan in advance,” he said.

Amba said that it was not too late for the nation retracing his steps giving the attention that he deserved basic education.