By Dipo Olowookere
A member of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Mr Oladimeji Raji, has been appointed to the board of the Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board.
Mr Raji, the current Treasurer of the NUT, is an experienced educationist as he has served in the Oyo State teaching service for 30 years. He has also served at Progressive Day School II, Aladorin, Ibadan, the state capital.
His appointment to the board, according to a statement from Oyo SUBEB, was approved by the Oyo State Government.
The Executive Chairman of the agency, Dr Nureni Adeniran, speaking when he hosted the executive council of NUT in the state led by Mr Samson Adedoyin, explained that the appointment of a member of the union to the board was borne out of the present administration’s commitment to the welfare of teachers.
He added that teachers’ interests would not be compromised at all, even as he said that they know the best way to address their problems since some of them were once like them.
The Oyo SUBEB chief disclosed that the state government intends to carry teachers along in the scheme of things at the board especially in the execution of educational policies and programmes of the state government, through the appointment of one of them.
He listed some of the ways Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration has motivated teachers for higher productivity to include prompt payment of salaries and allowance to primary school teachers in the state.
Mr Adeniran, however, appealed to members of NUT to collaborate with the board, urging the group’s leadership to do its utmost best to sensitize its members on the efforts of the state government on their course.
He said the board will not hesitate to discipline erring teachers who refuse to adhere to the rules of service, adding that, the present administration is working on modalities to recruit new teachers in the basic education sector.
Mr Adeniran also assured the leadership of NUT that the board has listed some of the challenges facing teachers in the state, and would immediately swing into action.
Earlier, the NUT Chairman in Oyo State had praised the state government for its commitment to the welfare of teachers and appealed for more attention to the needs of his members.
