By: Bethel Toby
The Principal of Community Junior Secondary School, Okoloma-Afam, in Oyigbo LGA of Rivers State, Dr Chiawolam Jacob, has called on Governor Siminalayi Fubara, among other stakeholders to urgently reform the education sector, to achieve greater efficiency and productivity.
Speaking with PH Mundial on this year’s World Teachers’ Day celebration, and the state of teachers’ welfare, Jacob explained that improved teachers’ welfare, timely promotions, and the recruitment of more teaching and non- academic staff remain the foundation for meaningful learning outcomes.
He described teachers’ as, “the bedrock of national transformation and integration”, lamenting that neglect of their welfare and poor school staffing have crippled the quality of education in several public schools in the state of recent.
”When a teacher is hungry or demotivated, no policy can save the classroom.
”The future of our children depends on how we treat those who teach them”, Jacob declared.
He emphasized that while the Fubara- led government has shown commitment to education through budgetary allocations and infrastructure, teacher motivation, retraining, and equitable recruitment must top the next phase of reform.
According to him, Rivers State should embark on a comprehensive teacher recruitment drive targeting both academic personnel, including laboratory technicians, librarians, information communication technology(ICT) officers, guidance councilors, and school support staff.
This, he argued, will strengthen the administration, reduce teacher burnout, and enhance student learning experiences.
” Education is not about buildings alone; it is all about the people who make learning happen. Government must treat teachers’ welfare as development capital”, he noted.
Jacob further urged the state government, to clear any outstanding salary arrears, implement prompt promotion schedules, housing allowances and ensure that welfare incentives us reached out to teachers’ in rural communities of the state.
The school administrator recommended that the state government should establish a ‘ Teachers’ Welfare Fund’ , and to revive continuous professional development ( CPD) training by teachers’ and should regularly retrained on digital pedagogy and modern classroom management with the provision of conducive teaching and learning environment.
He, however, highlighted the importance of tapping into Universal Basic Education Commission( UBEC) marching grants, calling for transparent use of counterpart funds to upgrades learning facilities, laboratories, and libraries, especially in the rural areas of the state.
” Teachers’ welfare is not a favor, it is an investment in the human capital that sustains every other sectors,” he observed.
He believed the call aligns with UNESCO’s global teacher gap alert, which warns that Nigeria must recruit and retain thousands of teachers’ by 2030, to meet Sustainable Development Goal-4( SDG-4) on quality education.
Jacob stressed that the Rivers State Government(RSG) under the administration of Governor Siminalayi Fubara can seize the opportunity of the 2025 global teachers’ annual celebration to become a model for education reform in the Niger Delta, by combining data- driven recruitment, welfare incentives, and performance monitoring.
” Teachers’ welfare is not charity, it is development strategy. The better they live, the better our children”, Dr Chiawolam Jacob submitted.
