The Labour Party’s candidate for the 2023 presidential elections, Peter Obi, has made a compelling case for better teacher welfare and an urgent overhaul of the nation’s education system, aimed at tackling the issue of children who are not enrolled in school.
This statement was issued by Peter Obi on Thursday through his X (formerly Twitter) account.
He expressed the belief that teachers’ sacrifices are indispensable for Nigeria’s development.
The statement partly reads, ‘I would like to celebrate all the teachers in Nigeria today, as the global community marks World Teachers Day. I celebrate them for their commitment to the task of nation-building. It is often said that the building of great nations begins in the classrooms.’
‘The foundation of the development of any society is human capital development which can only be achieved through education and the immeasurable contribution of teachers. So, there cannot be any true development in a society without the critical input of the educators who are our teachers.’
‘The great rigour, hard work, patience, and dedication most teachers in different schools and institutions, especially at the basic level, put into their work to ensure that their students can become the best in learning and character, deserve special acknowledgment and hard work and dedication, have distinguished themselves in many ways, rather than celebrating individuals who contribute to the challenges facing us as a nation.’
During his tenure as Anambra State’s governor, he underscored the profound influence of education, highlighting that:
‘The many feats we recorded in the education sector in Anambra State under my administration as the governor would not have been possible without the commitment and dedication of the teachers in the state. We need to revolutionise education in the country by aggressively reducing the present 22 million out-of-school children and bringing them back to school. This we can achieve by making more investment in education and employing more teachers.’
Moreover, Obi pressed for governments at various levels to ensure teachers receive their salaries promptly, especially in the midst of the prevailing economic hardships in the country.
‘I urge the government to take teachers’ salaries seriously and ensure that they are paid as and when due. At the basic education level, which is the most critical, governments should intervene in schools owned by private and voluntary agencies, and ensure that their teachers are paid as their counterparts in public schools.’
‘I encourage the teachers to remain resolute and patient despite the present hardship prevalent in the nation. We all look forward to better days, the dawn of the ‘New Nigeria”, he concluded.