Why can’t teachers too get 300% pay rise?

It is another time to freeze our fixation on to many political stories and focus on some consequential governance issues that make or mar the future of Africa’s most populous nation that the black race too has been waiting for as a source of pride and confidence.  Thankfully, we no longer wonder that why the leadership of the Senate would continue to deceive the people that employed them about their remuneration package. The truth they all attempted to use the media to hide in a grave could not stay there. At least one of them has confirmed what they all tried to hide, again.

Let’s again look into the seeds of our perilous times and examine which one has germinated again.

We need to ask why the federal and state governments should continue to defer the reward for our teachers to the end of time. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu just signed a bill reviewing pay package of all judicial officers in the federation by 300%.

Specifically, President Tinubu this week signed the bill that increased salaries, allowances of judicial officers by 300%. The National Assembly passed the bill in June and subsequently transmitted it to the president for assent. With the development, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) will now earn N64 million annually; the President of the Court of Appeal is to earn N62.4 million annually while the justices of the Supreme Court will earn N61.4 million annually.

Senator Basheer Lado, Special Adviser to the President on Senate Affairs who announced the development said President Tinubu prioritised the welfare of the judicial officers and other Nigerians. His words: “This extraordinary move underscores Mr President’s absolute prioritisation of the welfare of Nigerian workers above all else just like he did when he recently put on hold an ongoing Federal Executive Council meeting to assent to the new National Minimum Wage Bill of N70,000.”

Lado described President Tinubu’s assent to the bill as a landmark achievement and a manifestation of his commitment to the welfare of Nigerian workers. His words: “In a demonstration of his visionary leadership and deep compassion for the Nigerian people, His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCON has once again affirmed his unwavering commitment to the welfare of the nation’s workforce by assenting to the revised Salaries and Allowances for Judicial Office Holders.

He added that the landmark decision “reflects Mr President’s profound dedication to ensuring that every salary earner in Nigeria, especially those serving in vital and strategic roles, receives the recognition and compensation they deserve.” Lado explained that the bill would encourage the integrity of Nigeria’s justice system and set a standard for the Nigerian workers.

“By prioritising the financial well-being of our judicial officers, Mr President is not only reinforcing the integrity of our justice system but also setting a new standard for leadership that truly values the hard work and sacrifices of all Nigerian workers. He commended the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and the House Speaker, Abbas Tajudeen, and other members of the National Assembly for supporting the passage of the bill.

ALLOWANCES OF OTHER JUDICIAL OFFICERS
The Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, President of the National Industrial Court, Chief Judge of FCT High Court, Grand Kadi FCT Shariah Court of Appeal, President of FCT Customary Court, Chief Judge of State High Court, Grand Kadi State Shariah Court of Appeal and President State Customary Court of Appeal are to earn the same salaries and
allowances. For this category, the annual basic salary is N7.9 million and N42.3 million as annual regular allowances. Also, the severance gratuity and motor vehicle loan are N23.9 million and N31.9 million respectively.

As others continue to praise that aspect of renewed hope agenda for judicial officers in the federation, I would like to join others from the Office of the Citizen to appeal to the President to do something more needful, significant and in public interest by sending a Special Bill for 300% pay rise for Teachers from Primary through Secondary to the Tertiary level. This may sound quite unusual because of the ancient ‘curse’ of confining teachers to “Waiting for Godot” for their reward.

Those who designed poverty enhancement strategy for teachers from the pit of hell have always been appealing to teachers at all levels to work here and ‘wait for their reward in heaven’. We grew up to know that even as some of us had no option but to resort to the old bait of Grade Two Teachers/National Certificate in Education Grate 11/NCE under the auspices of the well-funded Universal Primary Education (UPE) in the early 1970s.

Here is the deal and the prayer to the Chief Executive of the Federation: Before the euphoria of the enhanced new salary structure for judicial officers recedes, the President should convene bi-partisan Governors Forum through the National Economic Council to discuss how to make Teaching Service as honourable, prestigious, and attractive as Judicial Service.

At the moment, not many parents would like their wards to choose Courses as first choices in the Colleges and Universities of Education and Faculties of Education in various universities for first degrees. Sadly, in today’s Nigeria, the teacher isn’t part of a set of professionals that most mothers too would like their children to get married to.

Even if it is revealed that the Holy Spirit has ‘directed’ a man to a lady for courtship, the lady is quite likely to shout, ‘I reject that in JN’. I mean, especially, if the revelation is given to even an experienced female teacher in a primary or secondary school.

In any economic emergency situations in most of the states of the federation, the teachers even in the tertiary institutions are usually the last to be paid. All told, the there is no dignity for teachers in Nigeria. And that is why most public primary and post-primary institutions have very low standards and esteem. Last week’s results of the WAEC/WASCE already indicated clearly that the nation is in need of redemption for its education sector, especially in critical areas such as Mathematics and English.

503,275 Students Fail English, Maths In 2024 WASSCE
According to reports, a total of 503,275 candidates out of 1.8 million that sat for the 2024 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) failed English Language and Mathematics. The council’s Head of Nigeria Office, Amos Dangut, disclosed this last week in a statement announcing the release of the 2024 result.

He said out of the 1,805,216 that sat for the examination, only 1,301,941 candidates obtained credits and above in a minimum of five subjects including English language and mathematics. He stressed that 1,301,941 candidates obtained credits and above in a minimum of five subjects including English language and mathematics at 72.12 per cent,
revealing a 7.69 per cent drop in performance compared to 79.81 per cent recorded in 2023. “The analysis of statistics of candidates’ performance in the examination shows that out of the 1,805,216 candidates that sat the examination, 1,332,089 candidates, representing 73.79%, obtained credit and above in a minimum of any five subjects
(i.e. with or without English Language and/or Mathematics)

Dr. Dangut continued: “A total of 1,301,941 candidates, representing 72.12%, obtained credits and above in a minimum of five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics. Of this number, 628,820 i.e. 48.30% were male candidates, while 673,121 i.e. 51.70% were female candidates. A comparison of the percentage of candidates in this category in WASSCE for School 2023 and 2024, reveals that in this year’s (2024) WASSCE, there is 7.69% decrease in performance (that is, those who obtained credit and above in a minimum of five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics, was 79.81%)…”

He also revealed that the results of 215,267 candidates who sat for the 2024 WASSCE have been withheld because of alleged examination malpractices. Dr. Dangut disclosed at the briefing that the withheld results totaled 11.92 per cent of the total 1,805, 216 candidates that sat for the exams. He added that the figure of the withheld results was 4.37 percent lower than the 16.29 per cent recorded last year, and assured on the release of the withheld results after thorough investigation. “The increasing use of cell phones in the examination hall, in spite of the existing ban, and organised cheating in some schools are other nagging issues. All the cases are being investigated, and reports of the investigations will be presented to the appropriate committee of the council for consideration and final decision.

He expressed displeasure over the schools, supervisors, teachers and candidates who were complicit in examination malpractices, saying they would face the wrath of the law. The council will continue to sanction all cases of examination malpractice as schools, supervisors, teachers and candidates perpetrating this evil are not helping the educational system.  All hands must therefore be on deck to sanitise the system”.

Ian a serial on this issue, titled, ‘_Beyond The Student Loan Euphoria_’, which began here in The Guardian on Sunday June 18, 2023, I had stated in the preface that: In order that the current euphoria over the reintroduction of students’ loan scheme may not be another post-inauguration gimmick that is just full of sound and fury signifying nothing, the new
administration that is beginning to gain attention from some actions so far, should pay significant attention to fixing education beyond the student loan meretricious distraction. The reasons are not too far to seek. First, if the President can look beyond his political party, mobilise all the governors to make the issue of fixing the education broken walls a priority, the world will begin to pay attention to Africa’s most strategic nation again. The critical challenge in education isn’t about getting the so-called indigent students of tertiary education to have access to education, there are issues too with fixing infrastructure and welfare and wellbeing of teachers….’

We will have to continue with the discussion points here on how to ensure that we borrow some brilliance from some Nordic countries, especially Finland where they dignify and reward teachers more than their judicial officers and other civil servants. I would like to remind the authorities in Nigeria too that our sustainable development goals can only be attained with education quality. And that quality can only be sustained too by investing robustly in education infrastructure and significant remuneration package to teachers – just the same way they have just done to all judicial officers in the federation. Teachers too deserve dignity and significant salary and allowances that will enable young and brilliant citizens to rush to Education Schools as first choices.