President Bola Tinubu has said that his administration will leave no stone unturned to ensure teachers’ welfare and quality education at all levels.

Mr Tinubu gave the assurance at the occasion of the 2024 World Teachers’ Day in Abuja on Saturday.

Represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, the president noted that teachers’ welfare and quality education were key to women’s empowerment, prevention of diseases and reduction of poverty, among others.

“There is no gain saying that the federal government of Nigeria presently places emphasis on the teaching profession as enshrined in the National Policy on Education.

“This policy states amongst the goals of teacher education, to produce highly motivated, conscientious, and efficient classroom teachers at all levels of our educational system, and provide teachers with the intellectual and professional background adequate for their assignment,” Mr Tinubu stated.

According to him, government policies and legislations have ensured availability, accessibility, professional development, motivation, monitoring and evaluation systems in practical terms.

“Painstakingly, teachers make efforts to develop themselves in the use of the emerging technologies for their teaching purposes,” the president noted.

The Minister of State for Education, Yusuf Sununu, lauded teachers for their tireless efforts and said the federal government was fully committed to ensuring they were empowered and equipped for the task ahead.

“We are working diligently to improve teacher training, professional development, and working conditions across the country,” Mr Sununu said.

He also said the ministry was expanding access to new technologies and resources to ensure Nigerian teachers could deliver world-class education, even in the most remote areas.

The national president of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Audu Amba, expressed displeasure over the non-implementation of some welfare packages for teachers, which former President Muhammadu Buhari announced during the 2020 WTD.

Mr Amba called on the federal and state governments to ensure full implementation of the approved incentives to boost teachers’ morale in the discharge of their professional duties.

He listed some of the incentives, including the payment of a special salary scale for teachers in basic and secondary education and the reintroduction of bursary awards to education students in universities and colleges of education.

He said others he mentioned were Special Teachers Pension Scheme to enable the teaching profession to retain its experienced talents and extend teachers’ retirement age, among other incentives.

Highlights of the celebration included a cultural presentation, awards to six governors, and the President’s Teachers and School Excellence Award.

The awards for best governors were given to Kebbi, Borno, Oyo, Benue, Enugu and Kano.

(NAN)