At Teachers Day celebration: Menchum Valley DO felicitates teachers for contribution to nation building.

The civil administrator who was speaking Saturday October 5 at the Benakuma grandstand as on the occasion of World Teachers Day, described teachers as invaluable assets to the nation, lauding their dedication to shaping the future of the country through education.

Foncha Azise emphasised the critical role teachers play in the moulding of young minds and the overall advancement of society.

He pointed out that educators are not just transmitters of knowledge but also mentors and role models, whose impact often transcended the classroom.

According to him, teachers’ commitment to nurturing future leaders is the foundation of national development and growth.

“…be reminded that teachers are the backbone of our educational system and your role extends far beyond the classroom,” the DO told the teachers, before described them as “mentors, coaches, counselors and role models”.

He told the teachers that as educators, they inspire, motivate and nurture young minds, helping them grow into responsible, informed and compassionate citizens.

“Note also that government is very much aware that as educators, you face numerous challenges from limited resources to diverse learning needs. Yet some of you persevere, adapting and innovating to ensure that every pupil or student receives quality education. To those of you who are duty conscious, assiduous and devoted to do your job, today we recognise your unwavering dedication to your students’ and pupils’ success, passion for impacting knowledge and skills, creativity in making learning engaging and fun, empathy and understanding in supporting students’ emotional growth and collaboration and teamwork in building a positive school culture,” he added.

He continued that: “As your Divisional Officer and representative of the government, I assure you that we value your contributions in nation building and are committed to providing resources and infrastructure to enhance teaching and learning, supporting professional development opportunities, fostering a positive and inclusive school environment, ensuring your security and above all recognizing and rewarding outstanding teaching practices”.

He was however categorical that: “On the other hand, to those of you who play around, who are irregularly absent from your duty posts and in the some cases have abandoned duty and are receiving undue and unjustified salaries, let me remind you that it is one of the responsibilities of the Divisional Officer, to ensure the smooth functioning  of all the public services in his subdivision by ensuring that all civil servants are present and are rendering their services well. I will not fail in this responsibility”.

He was blunt that: “If you fail in doing your work, I will not fail in doing mine. Last two years, I caused the suspension of the salaries of some civil servants in the Subdivision. Last year, I said I should observe to see if everyone will adjust but it has been proven that the ‘carrot method’ of correction doesn’t work. I have therefore decided to go back to the ‘whip method’ and I have already started doing my work and wish to assure you that I will not relent any efforts to ensure that rightful administrative measures are taken to ensure that all recalcitrant civil servants are meted deserved disciplinary sanctions”.

Speaking earlier, Kudi Daniel Kum who spoke on behalf of the teachers, said “being someone who has spent almost his entire working life in the field of education, I am witness to the sorry state of teachers in this country”.

He regretted that: “In most countries, teaching is a profession of high esteem because the state believes that teachers are the key players in cultivating the nation’s young minds. This the type of attitude we need in this nation”.

Kudi continued that: “Since independence, education has been put on the back burner”.

He cited various economic surveys as revealing that public expenditures on education is below 2%, far below the 4% recommended by the United Nation. 

Kudi regretted that: “Capable people choose other avenues for utilizing their talents because there are no incentives to attract them towards the field of education”.

“In the present dispensation, people usually opt for teaching only under compulsion to survive when no option is available for them. Even when people become teachers out of passion, their opinions are usually ignored by society, undermining the respect of the profession. As a society. We have been unable to shed our colonial mentality of according respect only to people who yield power, privilege and status. If we truly want to emerge as a prosperous nation, we should follow in the footsteps of countries where teachers are treated with respect and are offered better benefits,” he concluded.

This story was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3253 of Tuesday October 08, 2024