Group Calls For Adequate Motivation Of Teachers, Highlights Their Role

Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) has called for adequate motivation of teachers, saying they are regarded as the determining factors of every educational policies of any country.

The Policy Advisor, Civil Society Action Coalition on Education for All (CSACEFA), Odinaka Ahanonu, made the call in an interview on Monday in Abuja.

Ahanonu said that the motivation level of teachers all over the world had been found to be a significant factor in influencing the delivery of quality education.
She said that this invariably affected the attainment of learning outcomes in classrooms internationally.

“Teachers determine what ultimately happens to educational policies, to curriculum guidelines, the use which teaching-learning materials are put, and in fact, it determines the fate of a nation’s huge investment in education.

“The fundamental objectives and principles of state policy (Chapter two of the Nigerian Constitution , Section 16) expressly states this.
“It states that it shall be the duty and responsibility of all organs of government to ensure that the control of state economy is directed to secure the maximum welfare, freedom and happiness of every citizen on the basis of social justice, equality of status and opportunity and a reasonable minimum wage.

“This underpins Nigerian teachers long drawn demand for the implementation of the Teachers Salary Structure,” she said.

Ahanonu said that low salaries, lack of fringe benefits, poor working conditions, poor teachers’ public image, lack of job satisfaction, lack of retirement benefits, among others contribute to lack of motivation for teachers.

According to her, all these underscored the fact that no education system can rise above the quality of its teachers.

“Achieving the SDG 2030 goals will depend on achieving basic education of good quality that will depend on retaining and recruiting well qualified and good remuneration for teachers,” she said.

She said of importance was also education infrastructure as an important factor in determining the quality of learning and students being churned out.

Ahanonu advised that a monitoring team should be set up that would ensure that education fund was spent in a transparent and accountable manner.
She said this would amount to a strong coordination, communication and consultation between different government line agencies such as development partners, CSOs and the media to ensure policy coherence across all sectors.