Our classrooms are empty; Government teachers decry as they mark World Teachers Day

"Our classrooms are virtually empty, Teachers' ratio is about 1 to 60 students and sometimes one to a whole school"

Abia State secretary of NUT, Comrade Mrs Nnenna Okonkwo declares as Abịa State teachers in the public basic and Post-basic schools prepares to join their counterparts across the nation and all over the world to celebrate this year's world teachers' day.

World teahers' day is held annually on every 5th of October since 1994 to commemorate the anniversary of the signing of the 1966 international Labour Organization (ILO) and United Nations Educational, scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recommendations concerning the status of teachers.

With this year's theme; "The Teachers we need for the Education we want: the Global Imperative to reverse Teacher shortage" they wish to draw public attention to the issue of teachers' shortage in schools globally, nationally and Abia State in particular.

 Mrs Okonkwo further stated that reports from their members in the classrooms indicate an alarming rate of retirement and death of teachers without recruitment to fill the gap and this has led to acute shortage of teachers especially in the rural areas. 

"It is on record that few who are supposed to stay back in the classrooms have found their ways into education ministries and boards"

Mrs Nnenna also noted that in Abia state particularly, the shortfall of qualified teachers in the public Basic and Post-basic Schools is alarming and the need to reverse teacher shortage in the state is imperative.

She recalled that in 2021,the State government gave a positive nod to the Federal Government approval of special Salary Scale for teachers in the country which includes 65 years of age and 40 years of service and also sponsorship to at least one refresher course per annum to benchmark best practices for improved teaching and learning but it ended as a mirage.

The Abia teachers' Union however urges the state government to join other good number of states in the nation to key into the new retirement age/service years for teachers by using this auspicious occasion to make an affirmation in that regard as well as other incentives.

They strongly believe that the present government's promise of commitment to education in the state will bear good fruits.