CDHR Accuses Adeleke Of Unwillingness To Implement Teachers’ Retirement Elongation Policy

The Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) in Osun State has accused Governor Ademola Adeleke of his unwillingness to fully implement the teachers’ retirement elongation policy, which had been domesticated in the state. 

According to the CDHR, the state government has wasted N837 million within 20 months of the domestication of the policy, whose guidelines have yet to be fully implemented.

The human rights group claimed that most of the beneficiaries of the policy in the state were not medically fit and did not return to the classroom to teach as required by the policy guidelines.

Addressing a press conference at the secretariat of the organisation in Osogbo yesterday, the Chairman of the CDHR in the state, Comr. Emmanuel Olowu, disclosed that 145 level 16 secondary school teachers and 105 primary school teachers have benefitted from the policy. 

Olowu noted that the unreadiness of Adeleke’s administration to follow the eligibility requirement as contained in the guidelines of the teachers’ elongation policy was impeding the career progression of some teachers, wasting the intellectual capacity of fresh graduates, and impeding the student’s academic performance.

He explained that “the simple interpretation of the policy is that if you are to be a beneficiary, you are to return to the classroom as a teacher and not as a Principal, Vice Principal, Headmaster or Headmistress and you have to be medically fit.”

The human rights activist said: “We of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) are here to express our deep concern over the apparent lack of political will by the Osun State Government under the leadership of Sen. Ademola Adeleke to fully implement and enforce the teacher’s elongation policy, while we also like to inform the world of the laxity of the office of the Head of Service through which the policy was formed.

“Our organization took up the struggle to demand full implementation of the policy guidelines of the teacher’s elongation policy as a result of the poor academic performance of the students in the State, which one of the reasons is inadequate subject teachers in our public schools, most especially school in the rural areas.

“We would like the press to note today that most of the beneficiaries are not medically fit and they do not return to the classroom as teachers which is against policy guideline C under Eligibility and E under procedure. 

“We hereby call on all lovers of education to save education in the state by simply calling on the state Governor, Sen. Ademola Adeleke, to be decisive on the policy by ensuring that the policy is strictly implemented. 

‘We warn some traditional rulers in the state who have been assuring the beneficiaries and the Teachers Union’s that the policy will not be fully implemented to stop such act because student in their domains are also victims of poor education policy.”

The CDHR Chairman also called on Adeleke to increase the number of teachers to be recruited to 8000 in line with the shortage of teaching personnel in the public schools. 

He said: “Besides, the recent decision of the state government to employ an additional 5000 teachers raises eyebrows. The recruitment of the 5000 teachers falls short of the reported shortage of all subject teachers in our public schools as reported by the Osun 2023 Education Summit which highlighted that 84.5% schools in Osun State currently lack teachers for all subjects. 

“Osun State government should increase teachers’ recruitment to 8000, considering the report of the Osun 2023 education Summit.”

Reacting to the CDHR’s claim, the state Chairman of Nigeria Union of Teachers, Comrade Fatade Olatoke, in a telephone interview with OSUN DEFENDER yesterday, said the new retirement age guidelines does not stipulate that beneficiaries must go back to the class.

Olatoke noted that it is not possible for a school principal to return as a class teacher after many years in service.

He said: “I don’t understand where CDHR has gotten their position. How is it possible for a school principal to return as a teacher? What if such person wants to retire, he/she will retire as what?

“There’s no one that pray for career retrogression. CDHR should kindly come out and show us where they see that in the guidelines.”