Jonathan to teachers: Be agents of positive change

President Goodluck Jonathan has assured
Nigerian teachers of Federal Government’s
commitment to addressing the shortfall in the
teaching profession and plans to boost the
capacity of teachers to deliver qualitative
education.
Jonathan who gave the assurance while
declaring open the 2013 World Teachers’ Day
called on teachers to act as agents of positive
change and transformation to enable the
nation achieve its education goals.
Represented by Vice-President Namadi Sambo,
the President challenged the teachers to work
harder in imparting useful knowledge,
discipline and patriotism to the younger
generation.
He said, “On this important Teachers Day, we
are making a call for teachers to give their
utmost in achieving our education goals. We
are calling for teachers who love the
profession, not just teachers who impart
knowledge to earn a living.
“We are calling for effective teachers, who
assume ownership of the classroom, invest
time with students and work creatively for
their success. Indeed, we are making a call for
teachers both in service and out of service, to
act as agents of positive change and
transformation for our dear nation’’, he said.
The President reassured that government on its
part is committed to addressing the challenges
in the nation’s educational sector.
He, therefore, called on all stakeholders in the
sector to support the teachers in their sacred
assignment of building the present and future
leaders of the country.
Jonathan noted with delight the roles being
played by teachers in sustainable development,
and thanked them for their immense
contributions in the field of medicine, science,
technology, politics and the economy.
He said his administration was determined to
address teacher shortage and improve the
quality of education by reinforcing the training
and retraining of the teachers.
He announced that government had so far
trained 40,000 teachers at the National
Teachers Institute (NTI), while the Tertiary
Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) had expanded
its support in the training of 5,000 lecturers
across higher educational institutions.