Osun Teachers Receive New Retirement Age With Shock – Findings

• Adeleke Betrayed Our Trust – NUT

Following the approval and immediate enforcement of the full implementation of policy guidelines for the Teacher’s Tenure Elongation Policy by Governor Ademola Adeleke last week, some teachers who had been benefiting from the old system have received the directive with shock. 

Adeleke had, on Wednesday, April 3, approved the enforcement and implementation of a new retirement age and length of service for the teaching profession in the state, in line with the policy guidelines. 

Adeleke’s directive did not go down well with some of the people in the teaching profession in Osun State, findings by OSUN DEFENDER revealed. 

The approval, according to a circular issued by the State’s Head of Service, Ayanleye Aina, is aimed at restoring normalcy across schools in Osun.

The circular also directed the Osun State Ministry of Finance and State Universal Basic Education (SUBEB) to immediately stop payment of salaries of teachers who had been enjoying the new retirement age (65-year) without fulfilling the conditions attached.

Parts of the conditions as contained in the guidelines for beneficiaries of the new retirement age is that they must be medically fit as ascertained by a qualified medical doctor and will be deployed to serve as teachers in schools.

OSUN DEFENDER gathered that the state government has begun to remove teachers’ names from the state government payroll without giving ultimatum for them to decide whether they want to quit or fulfil the eligibility guideline to stay in the service for the next five years.

Reacting to the approval of the new retirement age in a telephone interview with OSUN DEFENDER on Wednesday, the Chairman, Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Osun Chapter, Comrade Muritala Fatade said the Adeleke-led administration has betrayed the trust of teachers in the state. 

Fatade who expressed dissatisfaction with the immediate enforcement of the directive, accused Adeleke of undermining the efforts of teachers in protecting the education sector in Osun.

He called on Adeleke to review the process and give those who are willing to benefit from the new retirement age time to decide.

The NUT chairman noted that there was a pending discussion between the teachers and the government on some of the conditions attached to the new retirement age, saying the government went behind them to implement it without getting back to them.

He said: “We received the news with shock because we are still in dialogue with the state government. Both the teachers union and state government were unable to shift ground on some of our resolutions in some of our meetings. So, we still have pending discussions and they promised to invite us to conclude on some of our resolutions. 

“But there was no response from them since we adjourned the meeting two months ago.

 “What we heard after was that they have issued a circular on the new retirement age. They also didn’t serve us the circular before they begin to remove names of some teachers.

“We are surprised to wake up to such development since we’re still in dialogue, and the government took such action without getting back to us. We will only appeal to the government to reconsider whatever decision they are taking because the decision is now having effect on the health of some teachers. 

“I got report that a teacher has died in Egbedore local government as a result of the shock he received after hearing the news while some are hospitalised. 

“While we are grateful to the state government for ongoing teachers’ recruitment and for listening to our agitations to recruit more teachers, it’s also important to do elimination by substitution. 

“The elongation of teachers retirement age is backed by law. This is not the first time for such law. It’s also within the judiciary. Other civil servants have also started the agitation for service year elongation. Why is it that only teacher’s service year elongation will come with conditions? 

“If we are thriving and making efforts to make sure our education system gets better, it’s not to humiliate the teachers. The conditions attached to it is a means of humiliating the teachers. The judiciary has elongation of tenure without any conditions.

“While we are working tirelessly to make sure we cover for the government when there was no enough teachers in our schools across Osun, it is not to humiliate us at the end. That means they didn’t appreciate what we have done for them. 

“Even if they want to attach conditions in Osun State, they should take it easy and be diplomatic about it. They ought to give teachers who are willing to benefit from the new retirement age ultimatum to decide. Why is it now that they are recruiting teachers that they want to ease them out of service?

“When the government want to introduce the contributory pension, they gave us certain months to make our decisions and for those who are not willing to contribute to tender their resignation letters and for those who are willing to key to the program. That’s a very good one. 

“But the government does not do that on the new teacher’s retirement age. The government has begun to remove people’s name from the payroll. They should take it easy and let people decide if they are going or staying. 

“They should let people choose if they want to go back to the classroom or go. They should give them time to decide so it won’t come to them as a shock. They didn’t allow those who are already on old retirement age to decide whether they want to stay or go before removing their names from the vouchers.

“The government said they would need to reapply and screen them. Those who pass will now be enlisted. We are still appealing to them to give us a soft landing and conditions. They should allow people to decide.”