Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari, has granted approval for a special salary scale for teachers across the country.
The Nation reports that the approval coincided with commemoration of the World Teachers Day on October 5.
Buhari also increased the number of years of service from 35 to 40.
The president stated these in Abuja on Monday during celebration of the 2020 World Teachers Day.
Nigerian Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu,who represented Buhari at the event, explained that the implementation of the new teachers’ salary scheme was to encourage the teachers in delivering better services and effectiveness.
The government also announced tuition- free and automatic admission for biological children of teachers in their respective schools to encourage and retain them in the system.
Buhari said: “To address the challenges and set our country on the path of industrialisation where our educational system will produce the needed skills and human capital, I have approved the following:
“That in order to attract the best brains into the teaching profession, the policy of encouraging the best graduates to take up career in teaching is hereby restored.
“The reintroduction of bursary award to education students in universities and colleges of education with the assurance of automatic employment upon graduation.
“The payment of stipends to Bachelor of Education students as well as granting them automatic employment after graduation is now a government policy.
“The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) will now fund teaching practice in universities and colleges of education and enhanced entry point for teachers in the Civil Service by restricting entry into the teaching profession to highly gifted, academically outstanding students/scholars with the right attitudinal and emotional disposition.
“Special salary scale for teachers in Basic and Secondary Schools, including provisions for rural posting allowance, science teachers allowance and peculiar allowance
“Special Teacher Pension Scheme to enable the Teaching Profession retain its experienced talents as well as to extend teachers’ retirement age to 65 years and teaching service years to 40.
“Create a Career Path Policy for the Teaching Profession in Nigeria and Speedy Teachers Conversion Programme and ICT Training to mitigate the current dearth of qualified teachers in the school system.”