The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), has called for the establishment of a Federal Teaching Service Commission for effective service delivery among unity schools.
The National President of NUT, Comrade Audu Amba, made the call at the 1st Quadrennial Federal Wing Conference of delegates, on Tuesday in Abuja.
According to Amba, if the commission is established, it will regulate activities of the unity schools and also reduce the burden on the Ministry of Education.
“It will interest you to know that we have UBEC and SUBEB. The UBEC is responsible for the management and funding of primary education in the federation.
“At the state level, we have State Universal Basic Education Board that is responsible for managing and funding the system at that very level.
“Now, at the federal level, we have federal unity schools under the Federal Ministry of Education which has a lot of agencies under it.
“If we can get a commission that will be responsible for Federal Government Colleges, it will reduce the burden on the ministry,” he explained.
Similarly, the Registrar/Chief Executive, Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), Prof. Josiah Ajiboye, said that there were 112 unity schools across the country with more than 10,000 Teachers, hence the need to have a regulatory body.
On the welfare of teachers, Ajiboye said that the welfare of teachers should not be considered as a peripheral issue but a central pillar of education reform in Nigeria.
He said this required a long-term funding for well-qualified and well-supported teachers to promote the quality and sustainability of education systems.
“By investing in our teachers, we are investing in the future of our nation.
“Let us heed the call to action and work together to ensure that every teacher in Nigeria receives the support, respect and recognition he/she rightfully deserves,” Ajiboye said.
Earlier, the Chairman, NUT Federal Wing, Comrade Emeka Okonta, had said that the federal school teachers were faced with a lot of challenges ranging from stagnation to unpaid arrears, among others.
Okonta further said that a functional teaching service commission would remove the bottleneck affecting federal teachers’ promotion and restore the lost glory of unity schools in the country.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Federal Wing of the Nigeria Union of Teachers is made up of teachers in the Federal Government Colleges, Police Schools, Ministry of Defense Schools, DSS Community Schools, among others. (NAN)
