Teachers’ rewards on earth or in heaven?
By Bisi Olominu
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The adage that teachers’ rewards are in heaven has been on from time immemorial, but those concerned have been saying that their rewards should be given to them while still alive.
According to those interviewed by The Hope, they are of the opinion that teachers working dexterously for the lifting of the people in the society should be adequately compensated more than any other professionals.
This school of thought insisted that for someone in any profession to make it in life, such must pass through a teacher. If you are a doctor, nurse, lawyer or in other professions, teachers must have taught you to be somebody in life. But when you compare the remuneration of these professionals mentioned above to what teachers get monthly, it is far apart and this calls for urgent attention.
Teaching is the art of building and imparting knowledge and the best suited for this professionally qualified and trained are teachers. If knowledge is power, then teachers must be the power house. For most societies, the root of success in all sectors is traced to the teaching profession. Indeed, the long chain of other professions originates from the teaching profession.
Teachers play a significant role in training, coaching and determining the quality of education, which is critical to sustainable national development.
Speaking with The Hope, the Administrative Secretary, Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, Ondo State, Comrade Stephen Igbelowowa opined that teachers should be highly rewarded while still alive and that this should not be done posthumously.
According to him, without a teacher, there can’t be a nation and no nation can be greater than the quality of its teachers.
Igbelowowa averred that teachers should be highly motivated to perform to the optimum, adding that when incentives are given to teachers, they would put in their best for their students to excel in all examinations conducted by the examination bodies.
His words:” Teachers are moulders, builders in the society. Without a teacher there cannot be a nation. All other professions passed through teachers, but quite a pity that having trained them the remunerations are not the same, teachers earn salaries that in some cases are far below what their students who are in medical progression earn. This should not be in an ideal situation, our teachers should be compensated with various incentives for them to do more in the country “.
Igbelowowa who commended Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu for changing the face of education in Ondo State called on him to fund education more as prescribed in the United Nations Charter and also improve on welfare packages for teachers in the state.
“Some state governments are giving cars as awards every year to their best teachers in their states, Ondo government should copy this and give cars in each category of education in the state, this will motivate teachers to do more for their students.
“Teachers’ rewards should be given to them while still living and not when they are dead.
A university lecturer, Dr. Tunde Adebayo from the Department of English Studies, Ekiti State University in a telephone interview with The Hope said that as a teacher, he would like to get his rewards here on earth and not in heaven.
According to him, teachers should be well paid, adding that in a situation whereby they were owed months of salary would not auger well for the education sector. He added that; “the remuneration of teachers should be one of the best and incentives added on top, teachers would go out of the way to energise their students to perform excellently well in their studies.
“The more teachers are motivated, the more good results that will be recorded. Teachers are human beings, they have feelings, they have their own families to feed and cater for, so, they should not be allowed to suffer for several months before receiving what rightly belong to them.
“Those who are the rave of the moment in the world today are products of teachers and if lawyers, doctors, nurses and other professions can be getting fat salaries teachers who made them what they are should not be allowed to suffer for long.
“As far as I am concerned, I want my rewards on the earth and not in heaven.
In his own opinion, a Secondary School tutor in Akure, Mr. Afolabi Kolawole said that teachers should have a well packaged salary structure that would cater for their needs now and in the future.
According to him, for a teacher to be teaching several classes in a day is not a joke, therefore government should have a new salary structure for teachers like what the doctors and other professional bodies are enjoying today.
We are experiencing dearth of teachers in the country because those with good intention to join the teaching profession lost interest as a result of poor remuneration.
He said: “Why would some join when the monthly packages are low to someone in other fields you passed out with in the university? Let the government do the needful for teachers in the country by placing them where they rightly belong.”
Mrs Abibat Taoreed was of the opinion that teachers were not catered for adequately in the country. “Teachers’ salaries and welfare packages when compared with other professionals are low and should be improved upon.
Teachers should be the first to be paid in the country before others. Their rewards should be given to them while still alive and not after they have been buried.
