The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) Tuesday appealed to the providers of education at state and private levels to comply strictly with the COVID-19 protocols developed for the safe reopening of schools.

The NUT maintained that obedience to the guidelines would help to safeguard the health and safety of the learners, the teachers and the school community as a whole.

The President of NUT, Nasir Idris, represented by its National Publicity Secretary, Idris Amba, expressed this view during a press briefing by the Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, on the preparedness of the Federal Government for the celebration of World Teachers Day scheduled for October 5.

Meanwhile the minister announced that an award for the best teacher in each of the 774 local government areas during the 2020 World Teachers Day will be given, adding that although the instrument for the nomination of potential awardees had been sent to all state Ministries of Education and the Federal Capital Territory, only 24 states out of the 36 states responded with submissions for the award categories.

The President further called for the implementation of the 27. 5 per cent professional allowance for teachers of unity schools and also called for an upward review of the retirement age for teachers and education officers in the country as he said: “As the nation takes necessary steps to reopen schools at all levels for academic activities, we urge the Federal Ministry of Education to ensure that both state and non-state providers of education comply strictly with the COVID-19 protocols and guidelines in order to safeguard the health and safety of the learners, the teachers and the school community as a whole.”

The union also asked for the establishment of Teachers’ Salary Structure and other incentives for teachers to address the peculiarities of the teaching career and to uphold the nobility of the profession.