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World Teachers’ Day: Let’s Celebrate Our Teachers
By Eric Elezuo
In 1994, the world came up with a programme aimed at acknowledging and celebrating the efforts of the men and women, who have added value to existence through training and moulding of minds towards competing in the world and enhancing the wellbeing of the people. That programme was caged in October 5 of every year, and declared World Teachers’ Day.
Also known as International Teachers Day, the day is celebrated to “commemorate the signing of the 1966 UNESCO/ILO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers, which is a standard-setting instrument that addresses the status and situations of teachers around the world.
“This recommendation outlines standards relating to education personnel policy, recruitment, and initial training as well as the continuing education of teachers, their employment, and working conditions. World Teachers’ Day aims to focus on “appreciating, assessing and improving the educators of the world” and to provide an opportunity to consider issues related to teachers and teaching.”
The UNESCO cites that everyone can help by celebrating the profession, by generating awareness about teacher issues and by ensuring that teacher respect is part of the natural order of things. Schools and students, for instance, are expected to prepare an occasion for teachers during this day.
Some countries like India, however, celebrate the day on September 5 in honour of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. The tradition started from 1962. This is the when Dr. Radhakrishnan was born. He was a philosopher, scholar, teacher, and politician and his dedicated work towards education made his birthday an important day in the history of India.
One day, his students and friends requested him to allow them to celebrate his birthday in a lavish way. In return he said that it would be his pride and honor if they celebrate his birthday in respect of all teachers. And since then, September 5 is celebrated as Teacher’s Day.
In most places across the globe, especially Nigeria, teachers and teaching are viewed as an all comers profession. In fact, it is seen as a profession only those who could not find a job dabble in. Consequently, managers of the school system have, and continued to treat shabbily teachers in their employ.
It is worthy of note that there is hardly a notable professional today, who did not pass through a teacher. But while they glory in opulence, the brains behind their emergence continue to languish in penury.
It is high time we gathered and developed more and better policies to cater for the needs of the teachers and the teaching profession. Days are gone when the reward of the teacher is absolutely considered to be in heaven. Everybody’s reward is in heaven, but there’s an element of reward being enjoyed here on earth, and teachers should be part of it.
Consequently, on this auspicious day set aside to celebrate the thankless duties of the teacher, it is imperative that government look again towards the welfare of the proverbial ‘chalk profession’ and make their lives more meaningful. It is the outlook of the teacher that makes even his pupil to despise the teaching profession.
Visit a classroom today, no matter the level, and ask the pupils what they would wish to be in future. You won’t be surprised to note that only a handful, and in some cases none will mention teaching. Professions like law, medicine, journalism, aviator and many others will readily flew out of the mouths. No one wants to be a teacher because the life of a teacher is practical ‘hell’. he is paid the worse of salaries; he sits on the worse of furniture to do his duties; his square hole office is highly dilapidated and worse still, he is highly malnourished, and it shows.
Let us today seek out one teacher, and if you can more than one and appreciate him with a call, greeting or gift. The teacher deserves not just the good life, but even the better life.
The first hostages freed from Gaza under a long-awaited ceasefire agreement are back in Israel. The news sparked jubilant scenes in Tel Aviv where large crowds gathered ahead of their release.
The three freed Israeli hostages – the first of 33 to be released over the next six weeks – are Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari. They are said to be in good health and are receiving treatment at a medical center in Tel Aviv.
In exchange, 90 Palestinian prisoners and detainees are set to be released by Israel from Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank.
The Israeli military withdrew from several locations in southern and northern Gaza after the truce began earlier on Sunday, an Israeli military official told CNN.
Displaced Gazans have started returning to their homes, while the aid trucks laden with much-needed supplies have crossed into Gaza. Here’s what we know about how the ceasefire deal will work.
Hamas, despite suffering devastating losses, is framing the Gaza ceasefire agreement as a victory for itself, and a failure for Israel.
One of Hamas’ main goals for taking some 250 people during its brazen October 7, 2023, attack on Israel was to secure the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. As Israel pounded Gaza in response, Hamas vowed not to return the hostages until Israel withdrew its forces from the enclave, permanently ended the war, and allowed for rebuilding.
Source: CNN
The leader of UK’s Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, has said she doesn’t want Britain to be like Nigeria that is plagued by “terrible governments.”
Speaking on Thursday at an event organised by Onward, a British think tank producing research on economic and social issues, Badenoch expressed fears that Britain may become like Nigeria if the system is not reformed.
“And why does this matter so much to me? It’s because I know what it is like to have something and then to lose it,” Badenoch told the audience.
“I don’t want Britain to lose what it has.
“I grew up in a poor country and watched my relatively wealthy family become poorer and poorer, despite working harder and harder as their money disappeared with inflation.
“I came back to the UK aged 16 with my father’s last £100 in the hope of a better life.
“So I have lived with the consequences of terrible governments that destroy lives, and I never, ever want it to happen here.”
Badenoch has been in the news of late after she dissociated herself from Nigeria, saying she has nothing to do with the Islamic northern region.
She also accused the Nigeria Police of robbing citizens instead of protecting them.
She said: “My experience with the Nigeria Police was very negative. Coming to the UK, my experience with the British Police was very positive.
“The police in Nigeria will rob us (laughter). When people say I have this bad experience with the police because I’m black, I say well…I remember the police stole my brother’s shoe and his watch.”
