SOLUDO ATTENDS TEACHERS’ CONFERENCE, SAYS TEACHERS’ WELFARE IS THE BEDROCK OF TRUE DEVELOPMENT
By Christian ABURIME
Governor of Anambra State, Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, CFR has advocated increased support for teachers in the society.
The Governor who was speaking during the 9th (7th Quadrennial) Conference of delegates of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, Anambra State wing, emphasized that the nation is directionless without the services of teachers.
Anambra Teachers’ House, Awka was venue of the event.
Professor Soludo reiterated that one can predict the future of any nation when a cursory look is taken at the quality of teachers and teaching.
He emphasized that education and health are at the fulcrum and foundation of human development, recalling how his government has been prioritizing education, starting with the recruitment of five thousand teachers within the first nine months of coming to office.
Governor Soludo maintained that teaching is a profession that should be dignified, as such teachers should not be recruited on the basis of “who knows who” but on merit, which saw Anambra leading the way in its recent recruitment exercise.
The Governor commended Anambra teachers for stellar performances and winning laurels at different competitions, assuring that the present administration will continue to appreciate the pivotal role of teachers in development.
“When the teachers stop learning, the society stops growing.”
Speaking on the theme of the event; Petrol Subsidy Removal, its impact on the teacher and learner, the way forward, Governor Soludo stressed that truthfully, Nigeria is presently going through long overdue changes, pointing out that the subsidy has basically been a scam over the years.
He maintained that it is a disruptive but necessary change that makes the era of living in denial to a more realistic era of realities.
“We keep living in denial, kept printing money, up to over twenty trillion into the system. And that is why the inflation”.
He commended President Bola Tinubu for having the courage to remove the subsidy, noting that over the years, the country have been living above its means.
“The country is beginning to face the reality that we are a poor country. We need to get back to the basics”; the Governor added.
He also spoke about the minimum wage, retirement age, streamlining of miscellaneous payments that students are pressured to pay, with a major focus on public schools, limited data in schools and sundry issues affecting Anambra teachers, promising to continually look into how to addressed them, starting with recruitment of more teachers soon.
The Anambra State NUT Chairman, Mrs. Nonye Chibueze praised the Governor for giving matters concerning education and teachers first consideration.
Among other pleas she made, Mrs. Chibueze urged the Governor to recruit more teachers into the public primary and secondary school system.
The Head of Service, Barr. Theodora Igwegbe, Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ngozi Chuma-Udeh, Chief of Protocol and Deputy Chief of Staff to the Governor, Mr. Chinedu Nwoye, Chairman PPSSC, Prof. Nkechi Ikediugwu, Chairman ASUBEB, Dr. Vera Nwadinobi, the NLC, among other stakeholders in the education sector, attended the event.