WTD: NUT Tasks Teachers On Diligence, Compliance With Covid-19 Protocols

As the 2020 edition of the World Teacher’s Day (WTD) celebration holds, today, in Rivers State, teachers have been charged to show high level of diligence in their service to humanity, while also ensuring total compliance with all Covid-19 guidelines for the safety and health of the society.
The Chairman of the Rivers State chapter of Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT),Comrade Dumnaata Lucky Nkpogone, who spoke with The Tide in an interview, said the low-key celebration was to comply with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and Rivers State Government’s policies and directives on Covid-19 pandemic.
Nkpogone said that 50 teachers from across the state, comprising the 23 local government chairmen of the union and the state officers would represent the entire teaching population in the state at the event, which would hold at the Rivers State office of the union on Abba Street in Diobu area of Port Harcourt.
He urged other teachers to resume duties in their various schools in line with the directive of the state government to reopen schools, today.
He noted that the order of government was not a coincidence, but a divine act of God to allow students and teachers return to schools on the auspicious day when teachers were celebrating the sacrifices of their labour.
According to him, the theme of this year’s celebration, “Teachers: Yielding In Crisis; Re-Imagining The Future”, would provide the opportunity for teachers in Rivers State to, “brainstorm with employers of labour in the sector on how to enhance the services and welfare of teachers”.
He said that despite the pivotal role of teachers in the moulding of characters and harnessing of talents, they have over the years been relegated and denied their proper place in the society.
The NUT boss pointed out that the Covid-19 pandemic has further revealed the importance of teachers, as all alternatives to the services of teachers across the world, appear not to work, noting that the in-person interaction between teachers and students/pupils remains the most potent strategy towards achieving a great and educated future.
He urged governments at all levels and other relevant stakeholders to invest in the educational sector by giving the right incentives to teachers, especially in the area of training and retraining to raise standards in their services.