Why Nigeria announces N75,000 stipend per semester for undergrads, N50,000 for NCE students

*The Federal Government notes at the commemoration of World Teachers’ Day 2021, that this measure will be part of the government’s deliberate effort at attracting the best brains into the teaching profession in the country

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

The Nigerian education sector may soon receive a boost as the Federal Government has announced the payment of N75,000 as a stipend per semester for students undergoing Bachelor’s Degree programmes in Education courses in public universities.

ConsumerConnect reports the government also disclosed that the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) students would receive N50,000 as stipend per semester.

Malam Adamu Adamu, Honourable Minister for Education, whose speech was read by the Sonny Echono, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, announced this development Tuesday, October 5, 2021, at the World Teachers’ Day celebration held at the Eagle Square, in Abuja, FCT.

Nigerian undergraduate students

Recall President Muhammadu Buhari in 2020 had noted at the commemoration of World Teachers’ Day, that this measure would be part of deliberate effort of the government at attracting the best brains into the teaching profession in the country.

On bursary awards, the Minister for Education stated the Ministry would liaise with education ministries in 36 states, including the FCT Education Board, identify respective courses of study required respectively by each state and the award of N150,000 is proposed for undergraduates and N100,000 only to NCE students.

Beneficiaries must attend public institutions only and sign a bond to serve their state for five years on graduation, said Malam Adamu.

The Minister said his ministry as well would collaborate with the states governments to ensure automatic employment for the students on graduation.

Adamu said: “Undergraduate students of B.Ed / B.A. Ed/ BSc. Ed in public institutions are to receive stipends of N75,000 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.

“In commemoration of the World Teachers Day on October 5, 2020 President Muhammadu Buhari had approved a special salary structure for teachers in the country, just as he also increased the number of years of service of teachers from 35 to 40.

According to him, there will be Special Salary Scale for Teachers in Basic and Secondary Schools, “including provisions for rural posting allowance, science teachers allowance and peculiar allowance.”

Other promises include building low-cost housing for teachers in rural areas, sponsorship to at least one refresher training per annum to benchmark best practices for improved teaching and learning as well as reintroduction of bursary award to education students in Universities and Colleges of Education with the assurance of automatic employment upon graduation.

Meanwhile, Buhari Tuesday reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to improving the welfare of teachers and repositioning the teaching profession in the country as he directed the minister to ensure that all the components of the government policies in that respect are fully implemented.

The President, represented by Honourable Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, Minister of State for Education, said in his address: “The 2020 World Teachers Day in Nigeria was phenomenal as all that is needed to invigorate and revitalise the teaching profession was packaged and the Honourable Minister of Education was mandated to implement accordingly.

“I am not going to recount the entire components for implementation. However, the Federal Ministry of Education has commenced the pilot implementation of the increase in retirement age to 65 or 40 years of service for teachers and education officers.”

He added: “Guidelines to ensure seamless implementation have been negotiated and outstanding salaries of affected teachers will soon be paid before December 2021.

“I salute the Nigerian teachers and education officers who kept faith with the profession over the years despite the obvious challenges.

“The World Teachers’ Day (WTD) celebration is meant to create awareness on the status of teachers in our society as enunciated by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and International Labour Organisation in 1994.

“UNESCO further inaugurated Teacher’s Day to be marked on 5th of October every year. The intention was to institutionalise the commemoration and also motivate respective countries to revitalise the profession.