Nigerian Youths' Hatred for Teaching Killing Education in Ekiti, Teachers Warn

Teachers in Ekiti State have raised concern over their perceived strong aversion for teaching the youths now have due to wrong perception that those in the profession are poorly remunerated.

They regretted that this accounted for the low level of subscription for education-related courses in all Nigerian universities, especially in the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examinations.

The Chairman of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Ekiti State chapter, who also doubles as the Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS), Sola Adigun, raised the observation in Ado Ekiti at the weekend while honouring 60 ASUSS members who recently retired from the state teaching service commission after 35 years of service.

Meanwhile, some of the items gifted to the retirees were refrigerators, motorcycles, fans and other valuable home utensils, to appreciate their contributions to the development of teaching profession in the state.

Expressing sadness over the perceived strong aversion the young stocks have for teaching, Adigun said: " Obviously, the manner other professions, including military, are able to attract young persons, the teaching profession is not, because it has been made so unattractive, yet the future of the society depends on the quality of knowledge acquired by its young generation who are moulded by reluctant and unmotivated teachers.

"I blame the development on the society poor perception about teachers and government unfriendly policies towards the teaching profession as well as education generally.

"The theme of this year's Teachers' Day celebrated a couple of weeks ago which was ‘Young Teachers, the feature of the Profession’, showed that the government was already aware of this ugly trend."

Citing reasons for the ugly trend, Adigun frowned at what he described as discriminatory treatment against teachers, saying it was wrong to peg    teacher's terminal grade on level 16, whereas their counterparts in the civil service with same qualification retire at Grade level 17.

He pointed out that many classroom teachers in secondary schools parade Master degrees and Doctoral certificates, with no commensurate insignia to their academic statuses, which he said was not applicable in the public service.

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The ASUSS chairman also noted that “poor infrastructure, lack of teaching aid, rickety and deplorable school buildings, classrooms and staff rooms are suffice  to discourage any vibrant young minds from venturing into the teaching profession."

Meanwhile, ASUSS has congratulated the pioneer Vice Chairman of the union and the Principal of Ise Comprehensive High School, Mr. Abe Ebenezer Adebayo, for emerging  the second best administrator of secondary schools in Nigeria in the president's Teacher's and Schools Excellence Awards held in Abuja.

Adigun said the union was proud that Adebayo was presented with the certificate of honour and other gifts in Abuja.