There’s a saying in Nigeria: “Lecturers’ reward is in heaven.” This adage displays a widespread sentiment that the invaluable contributions and sacrifices made by educators in nurturing future leaders typically go unrecognized and are inadequately compensated right here on earth. Lecturers really face a myriad of challenges, together with poor remuneration, lack of sources, and diminishing respect from society. Their salaries typically fail to mirror the important position they play in shaping the minds of younger learners. Furthermore, in some unlucky circumstances, lecturers discover themselves subjected to hostility from irate dad and mom, notably once they implement essential disciplinary actions to take care of order and promote a conducive studying setting. In Ogun State, nonetheless, the case is remarkably totally different. Recognizing the urgent points, the administration of Prince Dapo Abiodun has made it a precedence to rework the panorama for educators and the sector normally since assuming workplace in 2019.
The Abiodun authorities has initiated a sequence of revolutionary methods geared toward elevating the standing of lecturers and guaranteeing that their rewards are tangible and significant, in addition to guaranteeing a conducive studying setting for pupils and college students within the Gateway State, reputed to be the nation’s training capital. One of many cornerstone initiatives below Abiodun’s management is the immediate fee of lecturers’ salaries and allowances. By doing this and providing different incentives, the federal government goals not solely to draw high quality educators but additionally to retain them within the educating occupation. This step alone has instilled a renewed sense of enthusiasm amongst lecturers, who now really feel that their efforts are valued and acknowledged. Along with emoluments, the Abiodun administration has invested in skilled improvement packages designed to empower lecturers with trendy pedagogical abilities and methodologies. Workshops, seminars, and coaching classes are commonly organized to equip educators with the instruments they should thrive in an ever-evolving academic panorama. This dedication to steady studying not solely enhances the standard of training but additionally fosters a way {of professional} development amongst lecturers.
Because the 2024 World Lecturers’ Day, with the theme: “Valuing Trainer Voices: In the direction of a New Social Contract for Training,” was celebrated on Saturday, October 5, Governor Abiodun’s legacy within the sector was significantly appreciated and applauded by main stakeholders, together with the Educational Employees Union of Secondary Faculties (ASUSS) and the Nigeria Union of Lecturers (NUT), as they took turns to listing the laudable achievements of a prince ably tagged “Omo Baba Trainer.” ASUSS Chairman, Comrade Felix Agbesanwa, stated: “We obtain our funds as and when due; you’ve gotten given us a Commissioner who’s teacher-friendly. Professor Arigbabu, as our commissioner, has been superior, particularly within the digitization of the whole training system that has captured each learners and lecturers. At present, on the push of a button, a learner’s and a trainer’s file and profile will pop up on the cellphone or a pc. Our go away allowances have been paid as much as 2023. Additionally, once you look across the state, the yellow roof is in every single place, proper from Yewa to Egba, to Ijebu and Remo. I cannot overlook the approval and launch of official autos to the workplace of the Principal-Normal final 12 months. I received’t overlook the reward of buses to the union within the state final 12 months, which is not going to be forgotten in a rush. The requirement for Ogun Train Interns and upgrading them to everlasting lecturers is a promise made, a promise stored.
“We had been stunned on Might Day when it was not World Lecturers’ Day once you advised us that on the finish of each two years, Ogun Train Interns will likely be given everlasting appointments. Since that point, I can let you know that you’ve got wiped away so many tears from the faces of many houses in Ogun State. You introduced sanity to our colleges via the endeavor letters signed by the dad and mom, which have restored peace, tranquillity, order, and decorum in our colleges. Gone are the times when dad and mom might come to our colleges and beat our lecturers; via this initiative, no mum or dad dares come to our colleges and harass our lecturers once more.”
Corroborating this, his NUT counterpart, Comrade Sewakanu Oladipupo, stated: “Beneath your management, vital strides have been made in enhancing the welfare of lecturers in Ogun State. This contains well timed fee of lecturers’ salaries and the fee of 2023 and 2024 go away allowances, which is a testomony to the federal government’s dedication to our well-being, the appointment of Principal-Generals to interchange the retired ones, thereby guaranteeing continuity and efficient management, and the fee of a backlog of worldwide deductions showcasing success of guarantees.
“Approving the everlasting appointment of 2000 Ogun Train Interns inside a 12 months thereby offering employment alternatives and selling skilled development, provision of sponsored rice to lecturers which, in flip, alleviated the burden on lecturers, complete coaching and re-training packages together with abroad seminars and workshops to equip educators with cutting-edge abilities, pioneering the digitalization of the training sector in Ogun State thereby guaranteeing readiness for the challenges of the long run, and subsidizing public subscription I OGSHIA by 50%, which will likely be remembered without end.”
Whereas talking on the Cultural Centre, Abeokuta, the venue of the Lecturers’ Day celebration, Governor Abiodun stated that his administration’s dedication to training and the welfare of lecturers was knowledgeable by the truth that “lecturers are the architects of a society based on data, essential considering, and compassion,” at the same time as he recommended ASUSS and NUT for the “outstanding resilience” proven by their members in imparting data to their wards persistently, regardless of the myriad of issues confronting the nation, together with the devastating financial crunch. He stated: “Our administration acknowledges the immense challenges within the educating occupation. But, regardless of these obstacles, our lecturers stay unwavering, guaranteeing that each baby, no matter background, has the prospect to thrive. We imagine that training is the bedrock of any significant socio-political and financial improvement, and lecturers are the architects of that basis. As Nelson Mandela rightly acknowledged, ‘Training is probably the most highly effective weapon which you need to use to alter the world.’ We stay steadfast in our dedication to supporting educators via our “Constructing Our Future Collectively” Agenda. Investing in training is an funding in the way forward for Ogun State. That’s the reason we proceed to enhance lecturers’ salaries, fund, coaching programmes, and be certain that each classroom is well-equipped. Moreover, latest promotions within the administration of our colleges and the introduction of the OgunTEACH internship program are key initiatives in our training technique.”
Governor Abiodun advised the enthusiastic lecturers, together with the newly absorbed 1000 OgunTEACH interns, that the state authorities would quickly launch the excellent 2023 and 2024 promotions. The absorption of the 1000 new intakes brings to 5000 the variety of new lecturers recruited because the current administration assumed workplace. Different investments of the State Authorities within the sector, in accordance with the governor, embody Ogun EDUCash of N50,000 to indigenes in all tertiary establishments throughout the nation and N10,000 to major and secondary faculty pupils/college students, whereas the federal government has prolonged help to college students writing the 2024 WASSCE amongst different initiatives. “A few of these initiatives embody the approval of a rise in rural allowances for lecturers, approval of transport allowances for all lecturers in lieu of two days allowed for public servants to not come to work, a free training coverage with the cancellation of all types of levies in major and secondary colleges (which resulted in improved entry resulting in elevated enrollment in colleges and a drop in out-of-school kids), enchancment within the Ogun Digitalized Multimedia Lesson Plan the place lecturers can be outfitted with the sources to ship successfully with centralized and digitized lesson plans, repositioning and building of our Central Training Administration Info System (EMIS) for information gathering, evaluation, and presentation, a 50% enhance in feeding allowances for learners in particular wants colleges, graduation of renovations of all 5 particular wants colleges within the state, approval for the Ogun State Training Intervention Fund (OGSEIF) as a Particular Intervention Fund for the Training Sector, and the celebration and award of excellence to excellent college students of the state in recognition of their glorious performances at numerous tutorial competitions, dubbing them “Educational Laureates,” in addition to the profitable conduct of BECE with the introduction of OMR (Optical Mark Reader) sheets…” the governor stated.
Prince Abiodun additionally disclosed that his administration would quickly start the development of 12 blocks of 900 good school rooms in 4 colleges throughout the 4 zones within the state. The benefiting colleges are Abeokuta Grammar Faculty, Ijebu Ode Grammar Faculty, Remo Secondary Faculty, Sagamu, and Yewa Faculty, Ilaro. Governor Abiodun stated that not accessing the 2020 UBEC funds was intentional, however shortly added that with the approval of a brand new work plan, the state would quickly begin accessing the funds to enhance the infrastructure of public colleges. He stated: “You recall that after I assumed workplace, this state had not accessed the 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017 funds. Shortly after I assumed workplace, we paid the counterpart funding for these 4 years, and we accessed the funding. The present one we’re implementing is for 2018 and 2019. What I seen is that a lot of the contracts had been deserted due to inflation; the pricing was not sensible. That was my primary remark. My second remark was that regardless of all these interventions, once in a while, you’ll see an Ogun State faculty within the information. You’ll see Ogun State learners sitting on 9-inch blocks and studying in colleges with out roofs, even though we have now accessed UBEC or SUBEB funding.
“I spotted that one thing needed to be unsuitable, and what was that? I spotted that the colleges that had been being constructed weren’t the worst of the worst colleges. We put a maintain on this system, and I arrange a activity drive headed by the Head of Service, and I mandated them to go across the nooks and crannies of the state and determine the worst of the worst colleges in order that we’re not embarrassed. I’m glad to let you know that the train has now been accomplished, and I needed to personally name the UBEC Chairman and inform him that we needed to rework our work plan, and that work plan has to mirror our peculiarities in Ogun State. We should not have colleges that aren’t conducive for tutorial planning anymore. I’m happy to announce to you that the brand new work plan for UBEC that displays our peculiarities has now been permitted. So, two issues we will likely be reaching: all of the deserted colleges and deserted initiatives from the 2018 and 2019 plans will now have a technique for rewarding and finishing them, and the 2020 work plan will now mirror the worst of the worst colleges.”
In abstract, Dapo Abiodun’s revolutionary methods have set the stage for transformative change within the training sector, particularly regarding lecturers’ rewards and recognition. By addressing wage disparities, investing in skilled improvement, fostering group engagement, and enhancing infrastructure, his administration is working diligently to make sure that lecturers not really feel that their rewards are solely within the afterlife. As an alternative, they’re starting to see the fruits of their labour, celebrated and rewarded in actual and significant methods right here on earth. Via these efforts, Abiodun isn’t just making guarantees; he’s turning the age-old adage on its head and making lecturers’ rewards a tangible actuality whereas additionally enhancing the usual of training within the Gateway State.
Adeniran is Chief Press Secretary to Governor Dapo Abiodun
