Award For Uplifting Teachers’ Welfare

THE massive commitment to the welfare of teachers in the state differentiated Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan as the most teacher-friendly Governor in the country at an awards ceremony organized by ThisDay Newspapers. The massive strides in teachers’ welfare and the education sector is equally appreciable in the overwhelming recognition of such efforts by the teachers themselves, stakeholders and the generality of Deltans. As the direct beneficiaries, they attest to the greater realization of a globally competitive school system in the state.

For this purpose, robust educational programmes and policies, including those which have made significant impact on the welfare and working conditions of teachers are being operationalized  to achieve results. This is seen as a critical component of the state government’s Human Capital Development agenda whose overall objective is to unlock the unlimited set of opportunities in the state through massive manpower development. The gain will be a more robust public sector, which is seen as the driver of the economy and a vibrant private sector, which is the engine of growth in any economy.

The sector, including the welfare of teachers, has, therefore, benefitted from the proper placement of priorities, where, despite the challenges of funds at that tier of government, priority is placed on the prompt payment of teachers’ salaries and allowances. And at the local government councils, where the same challenge is known to exist, the state government augments the payment of primary school teachers’ salaries by about N540 million on a monthly basis.

The determination to give much to the teachers in expectation of same has also seen priority attention being placed on the payment of allowances and other entitlements aimed at motivating teaching staff across the state. For example, there is the approval for the payment of 27.5 per cent special allowance to teachers with effect from January 1, 2013. The state government has also released N1 billion towards clearing various entitlements due to teachers in the state.

It is equally instructive that industrial peace and harmony in the sector enjoys priority attention. Labour unions in the state can attest to the fact that even in respect of wage agreements between the Federal Government and the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), the state government is always the first to implement such agreements, regardless of the fact that the states were not part of the negotiations.

Without doubt, these positive attitudes and engagements by the state government is a catalyst for the on-going transformation of the state’s economy and the governor’s zeal to leave behind a lasting legacy in the state. This is because the educational advancement of the state, which is being vigorously pursued by the state government, is the bedrock of any future development.