The Chairman of the House Committee on University Education, Abubakar Fulata has proposed significant increases in salaries for teachers.
“No primary school teacher should earn less than N250,000, while secondary teachers and university lecturers should earn N500,000 and N1 million respectively if Nigeria wants to achieve quality education. If you want quality education, you must pay them to teach your children very well. Teachers must also be encouraged as it is obtained in other climes.”
Fulata also advocated for a declaration of an emergency in education and called on the federal government to allocate at least 25 percent or 30 percent of the national budget to education.
“The nation must declare a state of emergency in education.”
Meanwhile, the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, expressed his concerns about the disconnect between Nigeria’s education system and its society and economy.
“Our education system is not connected to our society or our economy, we cannot say for certain that we are key contributors either locally or globally to the ideas which push societies forward, Mamman stated.
He pointed out that despite having excellent education policies, the country was failing to address its problems effectively.
Prof. Mamman emphasized the urgent need for change, stating that industries were receiving graduates who were unemployable due to the poor quality of education. He stressed the importance of the workshop in developing a roadmap to reset the education sector from basic to tertiary levels.
Additionally, Dr. Yusuf Tanko, the Minister of State for Education, emphasized the importance of stakeholders’ contributions in preparing children for the future. He highlighted the disconnection between the recognition of education’s importance and the lack of tangible results, leading to inadequate attention to the sector. He also noted that the challenges faced by educated youths in finding employment could discourage others from pursuing education.