Foundation hails Nigerian teachers despite challenges
Pays tribute to over 1000 teachers killed in insurgency
By Gabriel Ewepu – Abuja
As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to commemorate World Teachers’ Day on October 5, 2020, a non-profit making organization, One Love Foundation, OLF, Tuesday, hailed the doggedness of Nigerian teachers at all levels despite challenges plaguing the profession and education sector.
The commendation and recognition were made by the Founder and President, One Love Foundation, Chief Patrick Eholor while appraising salient issues affecting their welfare and career.
Held annually on 5 October since 1994, World Teachers’ Day commemorates the anniversary of the adoption of the 1966 ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers, with the theme, ‘Teachers: Leading in crisis, reimagining the future’.
Eholor said: “I want to congratulate the able men and women who took teaching as a profession, whose dream was to teach others as they were also taught, and they want to give back to the society.
“Unfortunately, since we started electing politicians into various positions to make law for us or to govern us without them having certificates or formal education, they didn’t see the need of investing in academic areas that include adequate salaries for teachers, good welfare packages, and incentives, free housing accommodations if possible, payment of salaries as when due, robust workers compensation. Imagine how many teachers have lost their lives to this Covid-19 around the world.”
The Foundation boss also paid tribute to over 1000 teachers who have lost their lives to Boko Haram insurgency since 2007.
“We have lost over 1000 teachers trying to help kids in the north due to Boko Haram insurgency. I have mentioned before that all our institutions in Nigeria have to be reformed, the TUC hasn’t helped matters as regards protecting the rights of teachers or assisting them in this country, NLC has become an organized crime and a profit-making organization”, he stated.
However, he suggested that the number of private schools and tertiary institutions is reduced because most of them promote quackery in the system, which has led to the near-collapse of the education system.
“I think we should reduce the number of private schools including tertiary institutions and secondary schools because it’s killing our educational system and bringing a lot of brain drain and bringing in people who have no business in teaching arenas”, he added.
Meanwhile, he (Eholor) pledged to support and commitment of his Foundation to support teachers and the profession in addressing some of the challenges they face.
“One love foundation will continue to support the teachers in Nigeria morally and give them kudos for being there to represent this country”, he stated.