The candidate of the Labour Party (LP), in the last presidential election, Mr Peter Obi has said there can’t be any true development in society without the contributions of teachers.
Obi in a message to mark this year’s World Teachers’ Day, stated that the greatness of any nation could only be achieved through education.
The former Anambra State governor in the message by his media aide, Michael Nwolisa, noted “The great rigor, hard work, patience and dedication most teachers in different schools and institutions, especially at the basic level, put into their work to ensure that their students can become the best in learning and character,” and said they deserve commendation.”
He urged government at all levels to begin to celebrate Nigerian teachers, who through hard work and dedication, have distinguished themselves in many ways, rather than celebrating individuals who contribute to the challenges facing us as a nation.
Obi disclosed that as governor of Anambra State, his administration could not have been able to achieve the many feats it recorded in the education sector without the devotion and commitment of teachers in the State.
“We need to revolutionise education in the nation, by aggressively reducing the present 22 million out-of-school children and bringing them back to schools. This we can achieve by making more investment in education and employing more teachers,” he said.
He also urged the government to take teachers’ salaries seriously and ensure that they were paid as and when due.
“At the basic education level, which is the most critical, governments at all levels, should intervene in schools owned by private and voluntary agencies, and ensure that their teachers are paid as their counterparts in public schools,” Obi advised.
He encouraged teachers in Nigeria to remain committed to the task of nation building, by discharging their duties diligently and showing good examples to their students, and society at large.
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