The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has again appealed to President Bola Tinubu to implement welfare packages approved for members by his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, since 2020.

The National President of the union, Audu Amba, who made the appeal in an interview with reporters, said five years after the federal government promised to implement a special salary structure and other welfare packages for teachers, the promises had remained unfulfilled.

Amba noted that the unfulfilled promises are partly responsible for the broader challenges affecting teachers’ morale, productivity, and well-being. He subsequently appealed to the government to ensure full implementation of the approved incentives to boost the morale of teachers in the discharge of their professional duties.

The NUT chief listed some of the incentives to include payment of special salary scale for teachers in basic and secondary schools, reintroduction of bursary award to education students in universities and colleges of education; special teachers’ pension scheme to enable the teaching profession to retain its experienced talents, as well as extended teachers’ retirement age to 65 years, among other incentives.

“There are so many incentives that are attached to it; housing units for teachers, allowances for science teachers, and students reading education courses. Former President Buhari took a bold step to approve all these things for us,” Amba stated. He appealed to President Tinubu to take another bold step in implementing these welfare packages, reminding him that the government is a continuum.

While appreciating members for their sacrifices in the face of daunting challenges, the NUT chief enjoined them to continue upholding the ideals of the profession.

Recall that in commemoration of the 2020 World Teachers’ Day, the Buhari administration approved a special salary scale for basic and secondary school teachers across the country.

The government also extended the number of service years for teachers from 35 to 40 years. Also approved were the construction of low-cost houses and special allowances for teachers in rural areas, and a special allowance for science teachers.

The packages also included automatic admission into public schools with free tuition for biological children of teachers, as well as automatic employment for education graduates.

Also in the general packages for teachers were the provision of loan facilities for agriculture, housing, cars, and motorcycles, among others. The government had explained that the implementation of the new teachers’ salary scheme and other packages would encourage them to deliver better services.