Employ professionals Teachers only, NUT tells FG

The Nigeria Union of Teachers has commended the Federal Government in its plan to recruit five hundred thousand teachers for the nation’s basic education and secondary schools.

In a statement in Abuja by its Secretary General, Obong Ikpe Obong, the Union warned against using the policy as a means of compensation for political patronage as was the practice in the past.

The statement noted that 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 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 Union will support the Federal Government in the actualization 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.