The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has called for the establishment of the Federal Teaching Service Commission for effective service delivery among unity schools.

The national president of NUT, Audu Amba, made the call at the first Quadrennial Federal Wing Conference of delegates on Tuesday in Abuja.

According to Mr Amba, if the commission is established, it will regulate the unity schools’ activities and 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.

“While at the state level, we have State Universal Basic Education Board that is responsible in managing and funding the system at that very level.

“Now at the federal level, we have federal unity schools and as it compasses Federal Ministry of Education which has a lot of agencies under it.

“But if we can get a commission that will be responsible for taking care of federal government colleges, it will reduce the burden on the Ministry,” he explained.

Similarly, Josiah Ajiboye, the registrar and chief executive officer of the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), said there were 112 unity schools nationwide with over 10,000 teachers, hence the need for a regulatory body.

On the welfare of teachers, Mr Ajiboye said it should not be considered a peripheral issue but a central pillar of education reform in Nigeria.

He said this required long-term funding for well-qualified and well-supported teachers to promote the quality and sustainability of education systems.

Earlier, the chairman of the NUT federal wing, Emeka Okonta, said federal school teachers faced several challenges, including stagnation, disarticulation of federal schools, and unpaid arrears.

Mr Okonta further said 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 federal wing of the Nigeria Union of Teachers included teachers in federal government colleges, police schools, Ministry of Defence schools, SSS community schools, and others. 

(NAN)