By Joanna Jaiyeola
As Nigerian teachers joined their counterpart worldwide to celebrate World Teachers’ Day on October 5, some schoolchildren have given reasons why they will not take to the profession as a career.
The pupils, who spoke to The Education Report also revealed that their teachers only pay attention to preparing students for the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and overlook other issues affecting their well-being.
However, a teacher, Mrs. Susan Okeke, told our correspondent that she would encourage one of her children to pick teaching as a career.
Generally, the students said teachers care about their job but acknowledged that they focus more on students passing examinations.
Peter Osazuwa, an SS3 student of Great Nations Ambassador School, Ayobo, Lagos, who spoke on behalf of other students, said teachers in general don’t care about the future of pupils, as they only focus on preparing students for examinations without caring about other aspects of their lives.
“Teachers don’t really care about other aspects of our lives, they limit us to the West African Examinations Council. Without teaching us about our, we cannot tell our teachers about what is worrying us in terms of our emotions, spiritual life. Teachers don’t focus on our emotions,” Osazuwa noted.
According to him, sometimes, pupils wish to talk to someone about their emotions, spiritual lives and other issues but the teachers have not been of help in that area because they only focus on preparing students to pass WAEC exams.
Osazuwa further explained why he and others would not like to pick teaching as a profession, due to the paltry salary teachers receive every month in Nigeria compared to the stress involved in teaching.
Reacting to their students position, some teachers said that they loved the profession but observed they have been looked down upon, based on the salary they earn, compared to other professions.
A teacher at Great Nations Ambassador School, Ayobo, Lagos, who studied History Education at the University of Ilorin, Mr. Olamide Asutoheeb, said “The teaching profession has been fun but stressful and I would not advice anyone to take to the profession because the salary is very poor except teachers in public schools,” adding “The society we are in, people tend to look down on teachers as low-class people, compared to those working in banks and corporate companies.”
A parent, Mrs. Susan Okeke, a trained teacher, said she loved the teaching profession and would support any of her children to become a teacher. She insisted that teachers try their best in helping children: “Generally, teachers have been of great help in assisting in training children.”
“I want at least one of them to be a teacher, one of the reasons is because I am a trained teacher and I want them take to that line. Being a teacher would make the females among them to have time for their children and teach their children academically, socially, spiritually and emotionally.
“The profession is an interesting one because the teachers will have time for their children. You know that teaching starts from the home, where the parents teach the children morals. And at a professional level, teaching entails imparting knowledge to students, and I love this profession,” Okeke said.
In general, students expressed their dislike for the teaching profession because of poor salary, which is the source of discouragement for new entrants to the profession.