The Lagos State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has appealed to the state government to recruit more teachers in public schools to fill the gap created by retired and relocated ones.

The NUT chairman, Akintoye Hassan, in an interview on Saturday in Lagos, suggested that the issue be treated with urgency, considering the rate at which teachers were retiring in schools without commensurate replacement.

Mr Hassan recalled that the NUT had initiated the bill to elongate teachers’ retirement from 60 to 65, but the state had yet to implement it.

“Recruitment of teachers needs to be done to make up for the shortages. Many teachers have retired without corresponding replacements.

“We, therefore, urge the Lagos government to implement the teachers’ retirement age elongation; it will go a long way to ease the dearth of teachers being experienced in the state,” he said.

Mr Hassan also noted that the “Japa (relocation) Syndrome” was equally affecting the teachers’ population, as many teachers had relocated to countries like the United Kingdom, Canada and other places.

“Most of the teachers being produced in Colleges of Education are not absorbed into the education system. In former days, immediately students finished their teachers’ training, they only filled forms to be posted to schools of their choice to teach,” he stated.

He added, “The best of development is human capital development; more recruitment of teachers will help teachers to be independent, and the effect will show in schools and society.” he said.

Mr Hassan, however, appreciated the state government for its policies on prompt salary payment, training and retraining of teachers, and school infrastructural development, among others.

He stated that some schools had excess chairs and tables donated by the government, individuals, old students and organisations.

“It is such that in some schools, students are now overcrowded in classrooms because more people are migrating into Lagos. Recent economic situation have made parents re-enroll their children from private to public schools.

“We are experiencing a dearth of teachers in schools to meet the demand of overcrowded students in classrooms. We just do not have enough hands,” Mr Hassan said.

The NUT chairman also urged that accommodation be provided for teachers as many of them found it difficult to afford to live close to where they teach, so they stayed outside Lagos.

“We want the government to increase our salaries due to the economic situation, which has affected transportation, foodstuffs among others,” he said.

(NAN)