The Director-General of the National Teachers’ Institute (NTI), Dr Aminu Ladan, has stated that teachers in the country are de-motivated because their remuneration is abysmally low.
Ladan, who made this known on Friday at a symposium organised by Federal Ministry of Education to mark the World Teachers Day in Abuja, said that the welfare of teachers in Nigeria, especially when compared to other professionals like nurses, doctors and lawyers, was discouraging.
Ladan, who was represented by Dr Hafsat Kontagora, Director Academic, NTI, said in the past teachers were motivated and had no option than to perform.
According to him, teachers’ pay was so low that most of them could barely put food on their tables by the time they settled their children school fees, utility and medical bills.
“Yet they are expected to perform magic; it is quite absurd that under this unpalatable conditions they are expected to produce those that will grow up to become leaders of tomorrow.
“They are expected to perform wonders in bare classrooms as they are derogatorily compared with teachers in other countries or teachers of the past.
“Was this the situation of Nigerian teachers in the past? Let me take you down memory lane, we all remember how teachers were revered, in villages teachers are next to the village heads or chiefs.
“In short, in Nigeria today teachers are de-motivated and so I say `to whom less is given, less should be expected.”
Ladan called on the employers of teachers to consider increasing salary and other remunerations for teachers to put them at par with their counterparts in other sectors.
He encouraged teachers to struggle to upgrade themselves with or without government support, but most importantly, there was need to fight for the support of government.
He added that teachers need regular training and re-training, better working environment, better remuneration and clear opportunity and support to progress in the teaching career to highest ladder. (NAN)
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