Implement Special Salary Scale To Boost Teachers’ Morale NUT Tells FG
By Alice Etuka, Abuja
The Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) has called on the Federal Government to implement the special salary scale approved by President Muhammadu Buhari for teachers in Basic and Secondary Schools, adding that it would be a morale booster.
National President of the NUT, Comrade Audu Amba gave the call in his address at the 2026 World Teachers’ Day celebration held in Abuja on Monday.
Amba said the theme for this year’s commemoration, “Standing with Teachers: 60 Years of Protecting the Profession, Advancing its Status and Shaping our Future”, was a powerful reminder of the collective responsibility to protect, promote and elevate the status of teachers and support the transformation of the teaching profession.
He stated that, “the rapid transformation of our world through technology, artificial
intelligence and other emerging developments make it even more imperative to invest in teachers rather than erode their role”.
According to the NUT Boss, teachers must receive remuneration that reflects the importance of their responsibilities and the prevailing economic realities in the country:
“We wish to recall that the Federal Government under former President Muhammadu Buhari gave approval for implementation of a special salary scale for teachers in Basic and Secondary Schools in the year 2022 alongside other welfare packages.
“Unfortunately, four years after the approvals, implementation has not commenced. We therefore renew our call on government to set machinery in motion for actualisation of the new salary regime for teachers in order to boost their morale and enhance their dignity”, he said.
Amba also canvassed for improved working conditions for teachers adding that they cannot be expected to perform optimally in unfavourable working conditions:
“Teachers cannot be expected to perform optimally in environments characterised by
overcrowded classrooms, inadequate furniture, insufficient instructional materials, poor infrastructure and lack of access to other essential teaching resources. We call for sustained investment in school infrastructure, provision of safe, healthy and conducive teaching and learning environments”, he said.
World Teachers’ Day is an international day held annually on October 5 to celebrate the work of teachers. Established in 1994, it commemorates the signing of the 1966 “ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers” by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which is a standard-setting instrument that addresses the status and situations of teachers around the world.
