Precision, Electrical and Related Equipment Senior Staff Association, PERESSA, has rejoiced with teachers in Nigeria on the occasion of this year’s World Teachers’ Day.
The association, in a statement by its national president, Comrade Rufus Olusesan, declared that to celebrate a teacher was to celebrate a survivor.
It reasoned: “Behind every doctor, governor and engineer is a teacher, yet no profession in Nigeria bears as much burden with so little reward as teaching.
“Therefore, to set agenda to honour the teacher this year, we must do more than mouth praise by confronting the menace that stands as their plight.”
The association called on governments at different levels to address the state of insecurity, poor remuneration, welfare and job security, particularly as they affected teachers.
The statement reads in part: “The classroom is no longer safe. From Chibok to Dapchi, from Kaduna to Zamfara, to Oriire in Oyo state, Maiduguri in Borno State to Niger State, teachers have been kidnapped, killed and displaced. In many villages, teachers are soft targets. In some states, schools are shut not because of strike, but because teachers are afraid to resume. You cannot build a nation when those who build minds live in palpable fear.
“A teacher in many states still earns N30,000 – N70,000. Some states owe salaries for 8 to 12 months. With inflation, transport fare has swallowed the teaching allowance. How does a hungry teacher teach hungry children. Many teachers now ride Okada after school, do petty trading, or private lessons just to survive. A teacher who is worrying about his own children’s school fees cannot give his best.
“In the past, “Teacher” was a title of pride. Today, teaching is seen as the last option. No promotion for years, no training, no housing, no health plan, no pension when as at when due. Parents insult teachers before their children. Students beat teachers and post it online. How do we expect excellence when we treat the teacher as the least important.”
The association declared that to move Nigeria forwards, schools must be secure and teachers protected.
It added that teachers must be well paid and the environment for learning made to be conducive.
The association emphasised the need to restore dignity, train and improve the welfare of teachers.
“A nation that does not respect its teachers is a nation that has cancelled its future. Every great lawyer, governor, senator, and president sat at the feet of a teacher. Today, we salute the Nigerian teacher – poor, threatened, unmotivated, yet still writing on cracked blackboards, still believing in Nigeria. Let us stand for those who stood for us.
“Happy Teachers’ Day to the Nigerian Teacher – resilient, patient, and still teaching against all odds,” the association asserted.
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