Ogun State government has instituted a yearly Best Teachers Awards to reward Teachers who have distinguished themselves in the course of carrying out their duties, just as he doles out houses and cash rewards for winners.
The State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun disclosed this while addressing executive members of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), Academic Staff Union Secondary Schools (ASUSS) and All Nigerian Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS), to mark this year's World Teachers Day in his office at Oke-Mosan Abeokuta.
Governor Abiodun said to encourage Teachers for efficient service delivery, it was imperative to celebrate those who have shown creativity, dedication and hard work in the course of imparting knowledge on the young ones, adding that the gesture would spur them to put in more efforts in educating the nation's future leaders.
According to the Governor, "we will continue to celebrate innovation, encourage consistency. Our administration will continue to make welfare of teachers our priority. Our teacher's reward will not be in heaven, but here on earth", he noted.
He announced Mr. Odegbola Ayodele from Abeokuta Grammar school ( Junior), as the overall best teacher in the State, with a gift of two bedroom bungalow, Mr. Adewale Abayomi, from Odua Comprehensive High School, Imonu, first runner up with the sum of N2.5m gift, while Mrs. Mary Adeyemi from St. Paul's School II, Sagamu, came third with a cash gift of N2m.
Prince Abiodun used the occasion to call on parents to be more involved in caring for their children instead of shifting the responsibility to teachers, as the development process of a child would not be completed without the involvement of their parents.
"It is becoming increasingly clear that our children now spend the larger part of their days with teachers. It is alarming to see that in the pursuit of economic fulfilment, many parents have now left their parental roles to teachers.
"While I call for a rethink by such parents, our teachers should help the situation by inculcating in the children, positive attitudes, ideals and virtues. Help us protect the rights of our children", Prince Abiodun pleaded.
He said the commemoration of the World’s Teachers Day was significant, as it draws attention to the noble role of the teaching profession in nation building in line with a standard-setting instrument that addresses the status and situations of teachers around the world.
The Governor noted that this year's World Teachers Day, would identify the challenges teachers were facing in the practice of their noble profession, especially at the period of the global emergency of COVID-19, adding that the event was to appreciate teachers and also assess their significance as educators of the world, so as to improve on their service for the humanity.
Prince Abiodun also said the occasion would provide an opportunity to consider issues relating to teachers and teaching profession, honour and recognise their contributions to the development of the education sector and socio-economic development of Nigeria as a whole.
While describing teachers as partners in building the State, the Governor said his administration would continue to appreciate them for their individual and collective roles, in creating new learning environment for the children of the State through DigiClass and other platforms, especially during the COVID-19 lockdown.
He enjoined them to be innovative and painstaking in the discharge of their duties, as they owe the State and country, responsibility of ensuring that children were physically, mentally and socially catered for, to meet future challenges.
The Governor noted that process for the recruitment of 1,655 Graduate teachers to fill some of the vacancies existing in Public Secondary Schools in the State, was at an advanced stage just as approval for career elongation of Primary School teachers to Grade Level 15 has been approved, while Principals-General and Headmasters-General from the four Geo-Political Zones of the State have been appointed and sworn into office.
In his remarks, the Chairman, Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), Comrade Titilope Adebajo, while describing teachers as risk takers and mind molders, called for the introduction of Education Trust Fund to enable government address many challenges facing the education sector.
Contributing, State Chairman, Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS), Comrade Akeem Lasisi, emphasised on the review of free education policy, to enable participation of parents and corporate entities in funding the sector.
Speaking in an interview, the best teacher awardee, Mr. Ayodele attributed his emergence to handwork, urging other teachers to be committed and remain steadfast in the discharge of their duties, "as there is always a pay day ahead".
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