As a way of encouraging more Nigerians to take up career in teaching, the Nigerian government has announced the payment of N75,000 per semester for every student of public universities studying education programmes.

Similarly, students of colleges of education are also billed to receive N50,000 per semester.

Minister of education, Adamu Adamu, made the disclosure on Tuesday in Abuja during the commemoration of 2021 annual World Teachers’ Day.

He said: “Undergraduate students of B.Ed/B.A. Ed/BSc. Ed in Public institutions are to receive stipends of N75,000.00 per semester while NCE students will get N50,000.00 as stipends per semester.

“Federal Government should find the modality through which respective states’ governments could provide automatic employment for NCE graduates at Basic Education level.”

Confirming the development in a telephone interview with our correspondent, registrar and chief executive officer of the Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), Josiah Ajiboye, a professor, said the implementation will commence in 2022.

Ajiboye said the implementation of the 65-year-retirement age for Nigerian teachers had commenced in January 2021, and that the new announcement was made ahead of its implementation in 2022.

“It is part of the efforts to reposition the education sector in Nigeria and this has clearly shown the commitment of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari towards reclaiming the glory in the sector,” Ajiboye said.

The registrar, whose five-year tenure was recently renewed by the president, called on relevant stakeholders to ensure the promotion of quality education as the fulcrum for national development.

PT