“Teachers, are you happy?”
The Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Sa’idu Ahmad, had barely settled into her opening remarks at the World Teachers’ Day celebration at the Eagle Square in Abuja when she threw the question at the crowd.
The teachers echoed: “No!”
She asked a second time, and the response was louder, the same.
It was an awkward, honest moment. The Minister had to continue with her speech, even though it was clear that the teachers gathered were not very much happy.
But what followed was an attempt to reassure them.
‘Your Welfare is a Priority’ – Minister of State
In her address, Ahmad said Eagle Square on that day belonged to teachers, urging them to celebrate.
She paid tribute to the Nigerian teacher who, she said, still worries about the child who has stopped attending school and returns the next morning ready to try again.
“Teaching is not done in more than one lesson period. A teacher takes home the question of who is still falling behind,” she said.
She acknowledged that a teacher today is expected to build foundational skills, respond to different learning needs, use new technologies, and prepare young people for a rapidly changing world.
“Those expectations are reasonable. So is a teacher’s expectation of good preparation, useful materials, fair treatment, safety, timely career progression and respect,” she said.
Ahmad said the Federal Government was working to make it easier for teachers to do well, adding that under the current administration, teacher development is being linked to a global system with relevant courses and recognised professional training.
She disclosed that the Accelerated Teacher Professionalisation Programme (ATPP) is offering serving teachers who need professional qualification a route to certification while they continue to teach.
“As we review the National Teacher Policy, we are giving equal attention to welfare and retention. Your welfare and retention are a priority for this administration,” she assured.
“A profession is more valuable when hard work can be improved. Teachers should be able to feel the benefit of reforms in their classroom and in their working life,” she added.
She commended President Bola Tinubu for giving national prominence to the President’s Teachers and Schools Excellence Award, noting that last year, N350m was given to teachers who demonstrated excellence in teaching.
She also thanked the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, for his leadership in connecting reforms to what children actually learn.
‘You Are In Good Hands’ – Alausa
When it was his turn, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, opened with chants: “Great job, Nigerian teachers!”
“I can promise you today you are in good hands. You have a President in President Bola Tinubu that has your back,” he said.
Alausa said the President is transforming the Nigerian educational landscape and that teachers are at the front and centre of the transformation.
“You will never be forgotten. You are the most important profession in Nigerian society,” he promised.
He described this year’s theme- Protecting and Advancing the Status of the Teaching Profession in a Rapidly Changing World – as a call to turn admiration into support.
“Teachers deserve professional respect, opportunities to develop throughout their careers, appropriate resources, fair recognition and good working conditions,” he said.
On technology, the minister said Artificial Intelligence is changing how knowledge is accessed and used, but the judgement, encouragement and human connection of a teacher remain irreplaceable.
He said government is committed to supporting teachers through professional development and working with states to improve conditions, whether a teacher serves in a busy urban school or a remote community.
He congratulated recipients of the President’s Teachers and Schools Excellence Award, describing them as examples for others to learn from.
“To teachers who are not receiving an award today, please know that your work is seen and valued. Every lesson you prepare, every child you encourage, matters to Nigeria’s future,” he said.
Teachers Still Waiting…
But beyond the applause at Eagle Square, the mood on the ground told a different story.
For many of the teachers who travelled from across the 36 states, the day was a reminder of how far appreciation on stage is from reality in the classroom.
‘Pay Us No Less Than N500,000’
Speaking to THE WHISTLER, a teacher, Christopher Tanjuma Audu Latebe from Gombe State while expressing his appreciating President Bola Tinubu and the Minister of Education, and his governor, Alhaji Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya, for celebrating teachers, said there was more beyond the celebration.
“The greatest challenge of a teacher is when you look at the effort a teacher puts in to bring up these little ones to become something. Even the governors, the ministers, everyone in this position passed through a teacher.
