Ogun Teach:NUT Rejects Casualization Of Teachers,Wants Employment

Ogun State wing of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has rejected casualization of teachers,under the State Government's ongoing "Ogun Teach,"a voluntary teaching scheme initiated to temporary fill the existing vacancies in the basic education classes in the state

The State Commissioner for Education Science and Technology,Prof.Abayomi Arigbabu last Monday announced the teaching scheme for a period of two years, asking interested applicants to apply 

The already 1,500  shortlisted candidates for employment into the Ogun State Universal Basic Education Board, however protested against such scheme, accusing the government of attempting to dump their recruitment exercise for the casual teaching initiative

The candidates  are still expecting their letter of appointment after being successful at the recruitment excercise done by the government in the last quarter of 2019, which was later suspend because of COVID-19 pandemic

They were seen at the Governor's Office in Oke-mosan Abeokuta, on Tuesday demanding for the immediate release of their letters of appointment which the Dapo Abiodun's administration had said could not be issued to them, because of paucity of fund  

But the State Secretary of NUT, Comrade Samson Oyelere in a chat with Edu-Biznews on Wednesday in Abeokuta, insisted on proper recruitment of the candidates already screened for the teaching jobs, saying the union frowned at such a situation where teachers would be engaged on temporary basis and being paid stipends under the voluntary teaching scheme

The union cautioned government against engaging teachers under the voluntary teaching scheme, saying such teachers  will not give their best which will further add to the burden of the existing teachers who are already over stretched   

"It wil be greatly unfair on the part of the applicants, current teachers and education in the state, because teachers must be engaged permanently for basic education classes, government needs to encourage these teachers to be ready to teach mentally, physically and psychologically", Oyelere stressed  

Teaching according to the NUT scrib , "is a calling, a teacher must be ready to give his/her best in classroom, government should not jeopardize the future of our children by encouraging casualization of teachers" 

"Though paucity of fund as claimed by the State Government is an issue ,however, government only needs to prioritize expenditure by giving funding of education which is a basic need to achieve other needs priority in order not to breeds a not well informed future generation for the state," he opined.

The union quickly asked the State Government to be bold enough to explain to the successful candidates that nothing would happen to their letters of appointment whenever government eventually decides to employ teachers to fill the existing vacancies