THE CENTRALITY of the teacher to the school system underscores the yearly observance, since 1994, of the World Teachers Day. The Day originated in the 1966 UNESCO/ILO Recommendation on the status of teachers, complemented by another recommendation on the status of higher education teachers in 1996, making the ILO/UNESCO recommendations on teachers holistic.
Their choice of profession was underscored by the indelible imprimatur of teaching in society. Neither the material depravity of teaching, nor its encumbrances have dampened their interest in the profession. The reproduction of tender souls into responsible citizens and leaders of tomorrow, constitutes the distinctive attractive flavour of teaching, which is not less satisfying than the undertakings of other professionals in their fields.
The cliché that the teacher’s reward is in heaven sets the teacher apart as a unique professional, and signifies at least four issues.
First, the intrinsic value of teaching is beyond material compensation. It is only God, the exact Quantifier of all human efforts, Who would compensate him/her. If He wishes here on earth, hereafter in heaven, or in both.
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Secondly, teaching begets other professions (medicine, pharmacy, engineering, law, etc,). Thirdly, most of those who transparently played crucial roles in independence struggles in Northern Nigerian, such as Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Saadu Zungur, Aminu Kano, etc, were former teachers. The highest educational institution in their days was Katsina College, a teacher training institution, which moulded them into the selfless public servants they were, who tried to meaningfully transform the lives of the people.
Fourthly, it connotes the material depravity of teaching, conjuring an undignified image of the school teacher, as someone who is involuntarily distracted from his calling by existential realities. Due to this, one would hardly find the sons and daughters of Nigerian top elites as professional teachers.
In the ’60s and early ’70s, the school masters rubbed shoulders with the local elites in towns (district heads, judges, warders, police, etc.), whilst university professors enjoyed social and economic parity with the top shots in the bureaucracy. But as the society became increasingly materialistic and corrupt, the teaching profession lost its appeal and aura, transforming it into a stop-gap profession swelled by ‘teachers’ in transit, forced into the profession by lack of a better alternative.
The late Mr Edwin Abah Ejeikwu was another teacher par excellence, who left the glitter and glamour of Kaduna to establish Ogene Elementary School in Benue State. His consummate teaching skills made him to passionately teach all subjects. Mr Ejeikwu stayed put in the school till he retired from service. Upon his demise, the whole community was in an unusual mourning, having lost a friend indeed and a great teacher.
Interestingly, the theme for this year’s World Teachers Day is: “Valuing Teachers Voices: Towards A New Social Contract For Education,” very apt for Nigeria, which has long ago muffled the voices of its teachers by paying lip service to education, illustrated by low average percentage budgetary allocations to the education sector from 1960 to 2023 (5. 96 %). This significantly deviated from the UNESCO budgetary thresholds of 15%, 20% and 26% by 9.06%, 10.06% and 20.06% respectively. Despite improvements in 1999 to 2021(7.81%), the average percentage budgetary allocation was still drastically lower than those for Ghana (24.37%), South Africa (19.49%), Senegal (21.32%), Kenya (21.70%), and Morocco (17.61%).
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The neoliberal impact on education has greatly retarded its developmental impact, viewing education in terms of cost outlays only, which have to be curtailed to the barest minimum, reflecting dilapidated public schools, mostly manned by dispirited teachers; eroding the competitiveness of Nigerian universities.
According to the recent Global Rankings of Universities, only Covenant University, out of the 274 Nigerian universities, is among the Band A universities; whilst only 4 universities (Ahmadu Bello University, University of Ibadan, University of Lagos and Landmark University) are Band B universities.
Mr Akeem Badru, the headmaster of RCM St. Michael Primary School, Ogunpa Lunloye in Ogun State, was the recipient of 2023 Cambridge Dedicated Teacher Award. He beat 11,000 nominees from 90 countries to win the coveted prize; the first African to do so. Teachers posted to St. Michael Primary School hardly stayed for more than two terms, but since he was posted there in 2017, he remained there. So concerned was he with the plight of his poor students, to have sewn uniforms for them, and dug a borehole in the village to alleviate the frequent illnesses of his pupils.
But the wilful neglect of education hasn’t dampened the spirit, and interest, of dedicated teachers, whose unusual commitment to the teaching profession, transformed them into golden educational ambassadors without a hiding place.
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Their choice of profession was underscored by the indelible imprimatur of teaching in society. Neither the material depravity of teaching, nor its encumbrances have dampened their interest in the profession. The reproduction of tender souls into responsible citizens and leaders of tomorrow, constitutes the distinctive attractive flavour of teaching, which is not less satisfying than the undertakings of other professionals in their fields.
One can’t muse on archetypal teachers, without highlighting some of them who made lasting contributions to the teaching profession.
Augustus Tai Solarin, a foremost educationist, and a thorn in the flesh of every regime before his death, wasn’t a teacher by accident. His choice of profession was deliberate and calculated. After finishing his Grade 3 at Wesley College, Ibadan, he proceeded abroad in search of the golden fleece, after which he returned home, and joined the profession. The late Tai was a teacher for life, whose educational legacy is the Mayflower School, Ikenna, established in 1956, which carries his exemplary stamp up to today.
Despite the passion of dedicated teachers, the neoliberal onslaught on the nation wouldn’t allow the voice of any teacher to be raised. If a highly indebted regime could seal a new social contract for education, it would only reduce its funding challenges, reduce the number of out of school children, enrich teachers with decent wages and invigorate universities with adequate funding.
Other teachers who joined the profession by choice were the late Yusuf Bala Usman, who shunned pressure for a bureaucratic career, and became a teacher for life. Like the late Usman, another international scholar, was the late Eskor Toyo, who terminated his sojourn at Lever Brothers and joined the classroom as a teacher for life. Till their last breath, they were inseparable from teaching, even if outside the confines of classrooms and lecture halls.
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The late Mr Edwin Abah Ejeikwu was another teacher par excellence, who left the glitter and glamour of Kaduna to establish Ogene Elementary School in Benue State. His consummate teaching skills made him to passionately teach all subjects. Mr Ejeikwu stayed put in the school till he retired from service. Upon his demise, the whole community was in an unusual mourning, having lost a friend indeed and a great teacher.
Mallam Abba Solo Gumel, the Headmaster-in-Chief, was a dedicated teacher, whose love for the classroom is legendary. Despite being promoted, he refused to be posted out to an administrative post. He chose to remain as Headmaster of Nasoro Special Primary School, Gumel, till his retirement. He brought uncommon passion to teaching and mentoring young beings.
Mr Akeem Badru, the headmaster of RCM St. Michael Primary School, Ogunpa Lunloye in Ogun State, was the recipient of 2023 Cambridge Dedicated Teacher Award. He beat 11,000 nominees from 90 countries to win the coveted prize; the first African to do so. Teachers posted to St. Michael Primary School hardly stayed for more than two terms, but since he was posted there in 2017, he remained there. So concerned was he with the plight of his poor students, to have sewn uniforms for them, and dug a borehole in the village to alleviate the frequent illnesses of his pupils.
Despite the passion of dedicated teachers, the neoliberal onslaught on the nation wouldn’t allow the voice of any teacher to be raised. If a highly indebted regime could seal a new social contract for education, it would only reduce its funding challenges, reduce the number of out of school children, enrich teachers with decent wages and invigorate universities with adequate funding. Certainly, doing so will make this year’s World Teachers Day theme: “Valuing Teacher Voices: Towards A New Social Contract For Education,” fulfilling for Nigerian teachers and educators.
Jahun, a commentator on public affairs, writes from Dutse, Jigawa State Capital. He writes this column every Wednesday under the title: ‘The Other Perspective’. He can be reached via email@aminuhabibu58@gmail.com, or WhatsApp on +234 703 903 8088
