Children of Unity School teachers get the largess from the 2023/2024 session
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Up to four biological children of each teacher in Unity Schools will receive free education in such schools from the 2023/2024 academic session, in a package that delivers on the pledge by President Muhammadu Buhari to make teaching attractive.
A document titled “Revitalisation of teaching profession” presented to Education Minister Adamu Adamu explained that funds to back up the largess will be factored into the federal budget for 2023.
“Recall that in October 2020, President Muhammadu Buhari approved the policy document for the revitalisation of the teaching profession in the country at the basic and secondary levels,” the document said, via reporting by The PUNCH.
“There are four updates here as follows:
“The policy is now an Act of the National Assembly; the elongation of years of service has now been implemented; provision has been made in the 2022 budget for bursary allowances for deserving students in education courses across our universities; free education for four biological children of staff in our unity colleges nationwide is with effect from the 2023/2024 academic session.
“Relevant departments are already working on modalities for inclusion in the 2023 Budget.”
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Buhari’s pledge
Buhari promised during the 2020 World Teachers’ Day to make teaching attractive.
He said the government would approve a special pension scheme to enable the teaching profession retain experienced talent and also extend teachers’ retirement age to 65 with the ceiling on their service raised to 40 years.
There would be a special salary scale for teachers in basic and secondary schools, “including provisions for rural posting allowance, science teachers allowance and peculiar allowance,” Buhari added.
137 Directors fail Unity School Principals’ exam
Only 207 of the 344 Directors in the civil service angling to become Principals in Unity Schools passed the examination conducted by the Education Ministry earlier this month.
A circular issued by the Education Ministry said 137 of them failed the computer based competency test, and the 207 who passed were scheduled for oral interview.
The federal government has 110 Unity Schools – formerly called Federal Government Colleges – which include Special Schools for the gifted. They are spread across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Abuja had decided that from the 2022/2023 academic session, those to be appointed Principals of Unity Schools must take and pass a competency based test.
A list attached to the circular, with reference FME/S/1317/C.1/VOL.1/51 and dated 16 August 2022, said only 207 of the shortlisted 344 candidates passed the test taken last week.
“The … successful candidates in the Competency Based Test held on August 16, 2022, are expected to present themselves for oral interview,” added the circular, which was signed by David Gende, Education Ministry Human Resource Management Director