Kwara Gov, AbdulRazaq rewards 61 on Teachers’ Day

Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara on Wednesday gave `Award of Excellence’ to 61 teachers across the 16 local government areas of the state to mark this year’s World Teachers’ Day.

Presenting the awards in Ilorin on Wednesday, AbdulRazaq appreciated the sacrifices and hard work of teachers to the development of the education sector.

He described teachers as the centerpiece of his administration’s transformative agenda in the education sector, reassuring of government’s continuous commitment to their welfare and addressing all pending issues in phases.

The awards came with varying gifts, which the governor described as a token of appreciation for those who mould the future of the next generation with their sweats, expertise and patience.

He said, “If there is anyone that we are obliged to honour and celebrate, that is the teacher. On that note, I thank all of you for your efforts, sacrifices and commitments.

“The World Teachers’ Day is the idea of UNESCO in line with the 1966 Recommendations on the Status of Teachers across the world.

“The theme of this year’s anniversary speaks directly to us in Kwara State.

“Our huge investments in the education sector are closely tied to teachers and school heads. You are the key drivers of the transformation that we seek.

“As we commit billions of naira to improve the learning environment, we are similarly funding the multibillion naira KwaraLEARN programme, which seeks to improve the capacity of our teachers and boost learning outcomes for our children.

“Between 2019 and now, we have ensured prompt payment of salaries unlike before. The implementation of the minimum wage has raised the size of what we take home every month.”

The state Chairman of Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Mr Bashiru Ayinde, paid glowing tributes to the governor’s commitment to education sector, workers’ welfare and urged him to do more.

“Here in Kwara State, we are proud to assert that the administration of Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has made some remarkable improvements in transformation of the education sector and welfare/working conditions of our teachers, as compared to what existed prior to his coming to office as governor.

“Although it is not yet Uhuru, we wish to use this occasion to further encourage the state government to work extra hard in meeting the pending/unresolved demands of teachers,’’ Ayinde said.