COMRADE AUDU TITUS AMBA NATIONAL PRESIDENT NIGERIA UNION OF TEACHERS
The theme of the 2024 World Teachers’ Day, “Valuing teacher voices: Towards a new social contract for education” is apt as it brings to focus the pivotal role teachers play in shaping the future of education and the need to value their knowledge, voice and participation in decision-making processes in education.
The rapidly changing world is facing a number of challenges which include climate change, technological expansion and digital divide, demographic changes, armed conflicts, natural disasters, pandemics and other emergencies. These developments have impacted education systems around the world, brought about complexities in the world of work, leading to a rising social and economic inequalities in nations across the globe.
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2023) stated that 44 million additional teachers are needed to meet Universal Primary and Secondary Education in 2030. In Nigeria, UBEC (2024) survey indicated that there is a shortage of 194,876 teachers in public primary schools in the country. Budgetary allocations to education have remained a far cry from the internationally recommended benchmarks of at least 4 to 6 percent of GDP and or at least 15 to 20 percent of National budget.
The challenges have also impacted on education systems around the world, which brings to the fore the need for a new social contract for education that can address the emerging challenges and transform the future.
It is with a deep sense of honour and a great pleasure that I stand on behalf of the teachers of Nigeria to address this auspicious occasion of the 2024 World Teachers’ Day celebration. As we already know, 5th October was set aside by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1994 to recognize and honour teachers across the globe for the pivotal role they play in transforming humanity and society. Nigeria joined the international community in celebrating our great teachers in 1996, and we are grateful to God for the successful commemoration of the day in the last 28 years and the opportunity to gather here once again to mark this year’s edition of the World Teachers’ Day.
First and foremost, I wish to commend the administration of His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR for keeping faith with this annual global event and sustaining the President’s Teachers and Schools Excellence Award which is aimed at promoting hard-work and excellence among teachers. Let me extend the gratitude of the leadership and entire members of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) to the Special Guest of Honour, top Government functionaries, members of Parliament, the leadership of Organized Labour, representatives of UNESCO, International Development Partners (IDPs), Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and other education stakeholders who have found it worthy to come and celebrate with the teachers of Nigeria.
I wish to specially appreciate the Honourable Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman, OON, Honourable Minister of State for Education, Hon. (Dr.) Yusuf Tanko Sumunu, Chief Executives of Agencies and Parastatals as well as Directors of the Federal Ministry of Education (FME) who have consistently contributed to the successful observance of the World Teachers’ Day (WTD) every year. May I also appreciate the Nigeria Breweries Plc. for recognizing and rewarding exceptional teachers through the Maltina Teacher of the Year Award, and commend State Governors who identify with teachers on this historic day by actively participating in the annual event and honouring outstanding teachers with Awards and prizes in their respective States.
Today marks yet another remarkable day in the history of the teaching profession as the international community celebrates teachers across the globe. As we already know, 5th October was set aside by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1994 to recognize, honour and appreciate the pivotal role teachers play in advancing education and transforming humanity and society. Nigeria joined the global celebration of World Teachers’ Day in 1996, and we are grateful to God for the opportunity to mark this 28th edition of the annual celebration.
Let me first and foremost thank State Governors who keep faith with this historic event by supporting and participating in the celebration, as well as honouring outstanding teachers with Awards and Prizes in their respective states. I also wish to appreciate the Commissioners for Education, other government functionaries and Stakeholders who contribute to the successful observance of this World Teachers’ Day.
The year’s celebration with the theme: “Valuing Teacher voices: Towards a new social contract for Education” highlights the important role teachers play in shaping the future of education and society, and the need to value their knowledge, voice and participation in decision-making in education. Education around the globe is in crisis; the rapidly changing world is faced with numerous emerging challenges such as climate change, technological expansion and digital divide, demographic changes, armed conflicts, natural disasters, pandemics and other emergencies. These developments have impacted the education landscape, leading to inequalities and crises of equity and relevance. This situation underscores the need for a social contract which must be built on principles that assure the right to quality education throughout life, and strengthen education as a public endeavor and a public good (UNESCO, 2021).
The new challenges and new trends in education have placed a greater burden on teachers and expanded their roles. Essentially, teachers are required to build their capacities to help learners acquire new knowledge, skills, values and competencies they need to shape their lives, and to be relevant and useful players in today’s knowledge society.
This year’s World Teachers’ Day, therefore, emphasizes the need to address the systematic challenges faced by teachers, to strengthen social dialogue, and to incorporate teachers’ perspectives into educational policy and decision-making process. Teachers, indeed, need a greater voice in decision-making; they need more supportive environments and better working conditions to ensure effective education delivery, and to meet the needs of society and the demands of the 21st century.