5th October, 2015
Speaking at an occasion to mark the World Teachers Day in Enugu on Monday, Ugwuanyi, who was represented by the Commissioner for Education, Prof. Uche Eze, said that most of the schools in the state were in deplorable conditions.
He promised the teachers that his administration would sustain the regular payment of their salaries and allowances as and when due.
He promised that the government would also train and retrain the teachers to enable them to perform well on their jobs as education ess the bed rock of every society.
Also speaking, the National President of the National Union of Teachers, Mr Michael Olukoya, commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his commitment to the fight against the Boko Haram insurgency.
Olukoya, who was represented by Mr J.O.J. Ukanu from the union’s Imo chapter, said that the steps signaled the determination of the president to deliver on his agenda for change and to bring about a new lease of life to the people.
He the teachers had demanded that their retirement age be raised to 65 years to increase the retention rate in the schools.
He said that the primary and secondary education sub-sectors required adequate number of trained and experienced teachers to impart appropriate knowledge and skills to learners at the foundation levels.
On his part, the Chairman of the union in the state, Mr Paul Nnaji, said it was ready to partner with the government in the effort to move education forward.
Nnaji said that it had become critical to look at the contributions of teachers to nation-building and to examine whether their rewards were commensurate with their role.
He called for the recruitment of teachers for primary, post primary and technical schools to fill the vacuum created by death and retirement of teachers.
He also appealed to the governor to review the retirements initiated by the state universal basic education board since 2011 to reinstate those wrongfully retired.