Buhari seeks extension of teachers’ retirement age by five years

The Senate on Wednesday received from President Muhammadu Buhari, an Executive Bill which seeks to extend the retirement age of teachers in public service by five years.

If passed into law, teachers in public institutions would have their years of service increased from 35 to 40 years.

President Buhari Executive Bill came on the heels of a suggestion by Senator Ali Ndume that the federal government should establish Federal Colleges of Education in the 109 senatorial districts in the country.

Reading the letter addressed to him on the floor of the Senate chamber, President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan said the envisaged legislation would provide for harmonised retirement age for teachers in Nigeria.

According to him, the move to increase the retirement age and service years was pursuant to Section 58(2) of the 1999 Constitution as amended.

The letter reads:

“Transmission of the Harmonised Retirement Age for Teachers in Nigeria Bill 2021 to the National Assembly for consideration

“Pursuant to Section 58 subsection 2 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), I forward herewith the harmonised retirement age for teachers in Nigeria Bill, 2021 for consideration by the Senate.

“The harmonised retirement age for teachers in Nigeria bill 2021 seeks to increase the retirement age for teachers from 60 to 65 years, and also increase the possible years of service from 35 to 40 years.

“While appreciating your usual expeditious consideration of this submission, please, accept Distinguished Senate President, the assurances of my highest consideration.”

Speaking during a public hearing on two days Public Hearing organised by the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND on two bills establishing Federal Colleges of Education Gwoza, Borno State and Omou-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Senator Ndume said it has become necessary to give quality education to teachers.

He said:” If the federal government decides to do so, it is doable because we have 109 senatorial districts in the whole country and by my estimate, an investment like N1bn per annum can take care of a modest tertiary institution like that and I didn’t just say that offhand. “Supposing we are to establish one Federal College of Education in each senatorial district and it will cost N1bn to run it every year, that means about either N109bn or N110bn allocated to that is doable and I didn’t just say it because of politics or sentiment.

“So, as I said, the establishment of a sound College of Education to train teachers, to teach the children in primary and secondary schools especially, is fundamental because when we have that institution and we give our children and wards sound education, they will grow to be patriotic citizens, educated citizens, citizens that are well disciplined, citizens that are well mentored, that can run this country in the future and it is from there that they can go to university or decide to be on their own because you don’t necessarily need a degree before you start.

 Most of our industrial people are people who just have the basic education, that is primary and secondary education. In fact, you will hardly hear of a big name among the industrial people who had education up to university level.”

The Senator representing Borno South who incidentally was the sponsor of the Bill for the establishment of Federal College of Education in Gwoza said the existing security challenge occasioned by insurgents in the North-East state was no reason to deny it such a federal presence.

“In this country now, how calm is everywhere, would you now say that because some charlatans and criminals are saying Boko (education) is haram (sin) and then they established a caliphate in Gwoza! In fact, that is one reason enough to put a College of Education in Gwoza, to tell them that Boko is not haram, Boko is needed.”

Earlier in his keynote address, Senator representing Katsina North and Chairman of the Senate Committee on TETFUND, Ahmad Babba Kaita, said locating a College of Education in Gwoza “would assist the insecurity ridden areas in providing teachers to close up the obvious generational inequality gap posed by a mishap that has befallen the Northeast in the recent past.”

He further maintained that the establishment of the Federal College of Education in Omuo -Ekiti and Gwoza would certainly, remedy the acute shortage of well-trained manpower needs of most schools.”

He assured his two colleagues who were sponsors of the Bill that his Committee was determined to ensure high impact legislation that would provide a sound, virile and sustainable legal framework as support for the education sector.

The Bill for the establishment of the Federal College of Education in Omuo-Ekiti was sponsored by Senator Biodun Olujinmi.

Written By: Taiwo Amodu

Source: Nigerian Tribune

Link: https://tribuneonlineng.com/buhari-seeks-extension-of-teachers-retirement-age-by-five-years/amp/?__twitter_impression=true