To
every discerning mind, the theme of this year’s World Teachers’ Day,
“Invest in the future, invest in teachers” is not only apt but calls for
sober reflections and pragmatic action from all stakeholders.
It
would be an understatement to state that the teaching profession is
losing its status as a dignified profession across the world,
particularly in the developing nations. Ironically, for the developing
nations to fully evolve, the teaching profession needs to be accorded
the prime status which it naturally deserves. It is the failure to do
this that is partially responsible for the decline in the standard of
education in most nations of the world.
In Nigeria, for
instance, there was a time when teachers played leading role in the
evolution of the society. But in our clime today, to be a teacher almost
equals belonging to the dregs of the society.
In
an ideal world, teachers hold the keys to a better future for all. They
inspire, challenge and empower innovative and responsible global
citizens. They get children into school, keep them there and help them
learn. Every day, they help to build the inclusive knowledge the society
needs for tomorrow. Evidence shows that teachers, their professional
knowledge and skills are the most important factor for quality
education. This requires stronger training upfront and continual
professional development and support, to enhance performance and
learning outcomes. In Nigeria, we know this and yet, far too often,
teachers remain under-qualified and poorly paid, with low status, and
excluded from education policy matters and decisions that concern and
affect them.
In truth, nothing can replace a good teacher. And
there are far too few of them today. At the global level, some 5.24
million teachers need to be recruited in order to reach the goal of
universal primary education by 2015 – 1.58 million new recruits and 3.66
million to replace those leaving the profession. The challenge goes
beyond numbers – more teachers must mean better quality learning,
through appropriate training and support.
It is incontrovertible
that a country cannot develop without a solid foundation for children
in formal education. But the question is who and where are the teachers
to lay the solid foundation? Ours is a country where majority in the
teaching service became teachers by accident and where both the Nigerian
leaders and society at large no longer appreciate teachers as nation
builders. It is no longer news that policy inconsistency, dearth of
qualified teachers, poor and inadequate infrastructure, inadequate
funding, exorbitant tuition fee, among others, have conspired to reduce
our educational system to a laughing stock in the comity of nations.
Without
doubt, shortage of qualified teachers and few qualified teachers not
being well paid pose great dangers to the education sector. It is
embarrassing that 54 years after independence, a section of the country
will still be having as much as 80 per cent of unqualified teachers
engaged in its schools. Truth be told, our governments are complacent
about investing in teachers despite yearly poor performance of pupils in
national examinations.
When we lament about falling standard of
education and poor performance in examinations, what we fail to address
is that learning is not possible without professional, well-trained,
well-supported, accountable and valued teachers.
The unstable
conditions of teaching staff in Nigerian primary and secondary schools
have crippled the system. This is because teachers’ conditions of
service do not encourage them to stay in the profession. Another major
concern of teachers is salary. Not only are the salaries meagre, they
are often not paid in full.
Although the Nigeria Union of
Teachers is quite active, it has not been able to change the
unsatisfactory conditions under which teachers work. A UNESCO report
states that 34.4 per cent of our teachers had neither the pupils’
textbook nor the teachers’ guide for any of the school subjects. The
country must lament a system in which, for instance, half of the
teachers in a state are as ignorant as the pupils, especially at the
primary level and this stems from the fact that some teachers have not
attended any training programme in the past 20 years.
Private
schools do not fare much better. In fact they are worse in some cases as
school proprietorship has virtually become an all-comers affair for
commercial reasons. This phenomenal growth can be discouraged throughout
the country if the states invest maximum attention and resources in
public schools. In the same way, the Federal Government has to make a
bold statement of unwavering commitment to the education of Nigerian
children by putting more money in teacher training.
Of course, a
rigorous staff training and re-training programme should begin in
earnest to make the best out of the situation now within the shortest
possible time. There can never be too much of such investment to make
the desired impact.
Another area that needs critical attention
is teachers’ recruitment. We have always had situations where
influential individuals use their position to force unqualified teachers
on the system, thus sacrificing merit for mediocrity.
A scheme
that embraces and encourages massive recruitment of competent teachers
from any parts of the country should also be put in place immediately.
There is no shortcut to attaining great heights. Such primordial
sentiment as religion, ethnicity, quota system, should have no
consideration if we want to get it right. Attitude to education must
change all over the country, by governments and citizens alike, if a
meaningful and rewarding future for Nigeria would ever be laid.
Providing
teachers with the means to have their voices and concerns heard should
also be a priority. Avenues should be created where teachers especially
principals will have opportunity to have inputs in policy development
and decision-making within our education systems. However, teachers
should also shun anything that can hinder the growth of Education in
Nigeria. They should stop abetting examination malpractices and other
antisocial tendencies.
There is no stronger foundation for
lasting peace and sustainable development than a quality education
provided by well-trained, valued, supported and motivated teachers. The
education of future generations hangs in the balance unless we can rise
to the challenge of putting the best possible teacher in every
classroom.
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