*As NCE students get N50,000
As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to mark the World Teachers Day, the Federal Government has approved the sum of N75,000 as a stipend per semester for students undergoing degree programmes in Education in public universities in Nigeria.
Also, the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) students will get N50,000 as a stipend per semester as part of the deliberate effort of the goverment to attract the best brains into the teaching profession as promised by President Muhammadu Buhari last year.
The minister of Education,Malam Adamu Adamu, who said this in his keynote address delivered at the 2021 World Teachers Day celebration in Abuja, Tuesday, noted that his ministry would collaborate with the states’ government to ensure automatic employment for the students on graduation.
“Federal Government should find the modality through which respective states’ governments could provide automatic employment for NCE graduates at Basic Education level.”
Adamu explained that the reintroduction of the bursary was part of the resolutions of the National Implementation Committee constituted by the government following President Muhammdu Buhari’s pronouncement in repositioning the nation’s education sector and the teaching profession in particular, during 2020 World Teachers Day celebration.
On the criteria, the minister, explained that ”Beneficiaries must attend public institutions only and sign a bond to serve their state for five years on graduation.”
He disclosed that the fund would be sourced from UBEC, TETFund, and managed by the Federal Scholarship Board.
He said his ministry “shall collaborate with agencies like NTI, TRCN, CPN, NUC, NCCE, UBEC, PTDF, TETFund, and non-governmental organizations organize training programmes in pedagogy and information and communication technology for academic and non-academic staff.”
While disclosing that UBEC, TETFund, and PTDF would assist in funding the annual training”,Adamu said: “Government should partner with developers/recognized institutions like Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, Federal Government Staff Housing Loans Board (FGSLB), FME Staff Welfare, and NUT to finance affordable homes for teachers on Build, Operate and Transfer basis.”
“The type of house to be constructed is based on a range determined by grade level and personal choice – 2/3 bedroom home for middle-level officers and 4 bedroom homes/duplex for senior-level and directorate cadre,” he explained.
Speaking on a special salary scale for teachers in basic and secondary schools, Including provisions for rural posting, science teachers and peculiar allowances, he said: “Advocacy and sensitization to critical stakeholders like representatives of state governments, through governor’s forum, ALGON, NUT, NAPPS, OPSON, etc. for their buy-in” will be explored.
He said there would be the survey of the six geo-political zones of the country to ascertain from states and local governments the prevailing situations in their respective states and local governments for an informed decision.
The committee’s document, he said,” is awaiting presentation to the National Council on Establishment, Head of Civil Service of the Federation and the Federal Executive Council for adoption.”
“I assure you all those frantic efforts are being made to implement the resolutions to complement the delivery of effective and equitable sound education that will foster development and contribute to the evolution of a strong, democratic, egalitarian, a prosperous, indivisible, and indissoluble sovereign nation,” the minister said.
