The Nigeria Union of Teachers, while commending the Federal Government for its plan to recruit 500,000 teachers for the nation’s basic education and secondary schools, has warned against using using the policy as a means of compensation for political patronage as it was the practice in the past.
The union in a statement by its Secretary General, Obong Ikpe Obong, in Abuja on Tuesday, said the intention of the Federal Government was laudable and consistent with its demand for the employment of more professional teachers to address the long identified problem of shortage of manpower in the nation’s basic education and secondary school system.
The union recalled that during its recent National Executive Council meeting, it had insisted that “this planned policy of the Federal Government should only accommodate professional teachers – graduate teachers and NCE holders and not quacks and personnel who have not been duly trained as teachers no matter their qualifications.”
Obong said, “The NUT will support the Federal Government in the actualisation of this policy but wishes to caution the government against the temptation of using this policy as a means of compensation for political patronage as it was the practice in the past.””
The union wants the government to ensure that qualification and competence would be the over-riding criteria in the recruitment of the teachers.
