By Kehinde Oluwatayo

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President of Nigeria Union of Teachers NUT, Dr Nasir Idris said about 46 million learners were affected by schools’ closure resulting from the outbreak of COVID 19 in Nigeria which according to him expanded the role of teachers.
He disclosed this yesterday during this year’s World Teacher’s Day.
Idris who was represented by Comrade Azeez Olayinka added that teachers were challenged to embrace the use of technology to keep teaching and learning on-going and ensure no learner was left behind.
He said teachers need to be adequately equiped, empowered and supported to be effective in carrying out the task of education recovery.
Ondo State Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu has stated that Nigeria needs qualified teachers to join the rest of the world in development and growth.
Akeredolu who was represented by his Special Adviser on Union Matters, Mr Dare Aragbaye described teaching as a noble profession and called on teachers in the state to remain committed to their job to make the profession grow from strength to strength.
He congratulated them and said his administration will continue to support teachers for improved welfare package and recruitment of qualified ones among other things for the upliftment of education in the state.
State Chairman of NUT, Comrade Victor Amoko commended Governor Akeredolu for his efforts at improving the standard of education in the state.
“We are grateful to Arakunrin Akeredolu and we will continue to support his government. He recruited teachers into the schools and promotable teachers have been promoted this year and are already receiving their salaries.
“But we want to say that we need more teachers. Presently we have 7000 teachers and we need 15000 for our work to be effective. And we also want to ask that the state adopts the bill of new retirement age as soon as it is passed to law.
Speaking on the theme of this year’s celebration “Teachers At The Heart of Education Recovery: Issues And Strategies”, Guest Lecturer at the event, Dr R. A Ilori said education remains a veritable tool for individual and national development.
He noted that the way forward for education recovery in Nigeria included adequate funding and staffing, effective supervision and proper motivation among others.