Adeyeye promises increased welfare for Ekiti Teachers, says competency test unnecessary

Afenifere Chieftain and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant in Ekiti State, Prince Dayo Adeyeye has promised to use increased welfare, promotions as at when due, capacity building through training and refresher courses, among other incentives to spur teachers in the State to perform their duties optimally if he becomes the State governor next year.

The governorship hopeful, who made this known during a meeting with some stakeholders in the State's Education sector over the weekend, said; “The controversial Teachers Competency Test, which the State government tried to force on the teachers was unnecessary and a waste of public fund and we are not going to burden our teachers with such tests.”

In a release issued today by the Director General of Prince Adedayo Adeyeye Movement (PAAM), Hon. Bisi Kolawole, the PDP governorship aspirant said “when I was Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education (SUBEB), we cleared more than five years arrears of teachers' promotion within the first six months of my assumption of office and the records are there.”

He challenged the State Government to come out with the names of teachers they have promoted since the PDP left government three years ago, saying; “They announced that they were going to begin promotion of teachers three weeks ago, but up till today, has any teacher been promoted?”

Adeyeye said; “Education is our major industry in Ekiti and we are going to make it our priority. We are going to make our public schools so attractive that parents will prefer sending their wards to public schools to private schools.

“We did it when I was the Chairman of SUBEB and the records are there. During the three and half years of PDP administration, we established over 50 new primary schools, constructed over 2,000 classrooms, including 75 storey buildings, while over 6,000 primary school teachers many of whom had been stagnated on a particular salary grade level were promoted.

“The improvement in the quality of infrastructure and standard of education in the public primary schools in the state then was responsible for the sharp increase in the enrolment of pupils in public primary schools which rose from 125,461 in 2007 to 153,303 in 2010.

“It was also these improvements that made it possible for pupils in public school in the state to perform excellently in national examinations and win laurels in both regional and international competitions including the 2009 UNICEF Quiz competition, the 2009 Mathematics Association of Nigeria Quiz Competition, the Southwest School Debate and the 2009 National Science Association of Nigeria Project Exhibition Competition.

“The PDP administration was also the first to implement the new Teachers Salary Scale structure in the south-western part of Nigeria, but today, those who promised Eldorado have reduced the 27.5 percent TSS to 16 percent.

“Therefore, our antecedents are enough assurance for teachers in Ekiti State to know that with me as governor, they won't be deprived of all that they are entitled to.”