REPORTER: ROSEMARY ELEE
As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to mark teachers day, some teachers in Anambra State want the government at all levels to develop a peculiar salary structure for teachers to attract and retain professionals especially at the basic level.
According to Mr Onyekwelu, teachers especially those at the basic level have been neglected for too long, a situation that has resulted in a continual decline in the nations standard of education.
Speaking with Radio Nigeria, a Veteran teacher, Mr Thomas Onyekwelu said government should give teachers their due honour by making teaching lucrative to attract professionals to man the nations education sector at the basic level.
According to Mr Onyekwelu, core experts are desserting the teaching profession at the basic level due to poor renumeration creating vacancies that are being filled with people who have no business manning classrooms.
Mr Onyekwelu opined that teachers deserve a peculiar salary structure commisirate with their jobs of moulding the minds that would eventually take up the saddle of the nations leadership in future.
Another teacher, Miss Mary Achibong said although most teachers see their jobs as a vocation, the low salary makes most of them to lose focus and gear their energy towards finding additional sources of income.
Miss Achibong urged government at all levels to work towards improving the renumeration of teachers to encourage them to put in their best.
In his contribution, a parent, Mr Daniel Ozoemena called on government to monitor private schools to ensure only trained teachers are employed to teach.
Mr Ozoemena said the teaching profession should not be an all comers affair as this would impact negatively on the nations standard of education.
Radio Nigeria correspondent Rosemary Elee reports that this year’s celebration with the theme,”Standing with teachers:60years of protecting the profession,advancing it’s status and shaping our future,” marks the 60th anniversary of the land mark1966 ILO and UNESCO recommendations concerning the status of teachers.
