N/Assembly To Raise Teachers’ Retirement Age To 65 – Dogara

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara, has assured Nigerian teachers that the National Assembly will increase their retirement age from 60 to 65 years to retain more

experienced teachers in public schools. Dogara disclosed this when he received a delegation from the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) who paid him a courtesy visit on Wednesday in Abuja. The speaker said that the house would support an upward review of teachers’ retirement age to benefit Nigerian children. “We have done it for the Tertiary institutions and the Judiciary, so nothing should stop us from taking the bull by the horns. “They say that wine gets better with age. It was the same consideration that motivated us to raise that of university lecturers, raised that of judges. So this is something we can pursue. “Thankfully, it doesn’t require constitutional amendment, it is something we can achieve by amending the existing law. Speaker Dogara “That is the responsibility of the parliament and we assure you that we will do something about that so that the benefit that comes with experience and wisdom will not be lost,” he said Dogara said that the welfare and working condition of teachers must also be upgraded to enable Nigerian citizens compete with the global world and produce citizens that can achieve development that the country seeks. “If we don’t have people who will sacrifice their time and energy to impact knowledge on our children, then like I said, we have lost the future. “This government which is a government of change must be prepared to change the narrative by ensuring that teachers are motivated and the condition in which they work are conducive at all levels, so that they can deliver on their professional calling,” he said.