Aiyedatiwa: I returned to classroom to reaffirm importance of teaching profession

Ondo State governor, Dr Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has said he deliberately returned to the classroom in March 2025, to underscore the importance of education and reaffirm the dignity of the teaching profession.

Aiyedatiwa stated this shortly after receiving a Special Recognition Award as the best-performing governor in education for 2026, from the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), at the 2026 World Teachers’ Day celebration, held at Eagle Square, Abuja.

The award was presented to the governor by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa.

The governor, who was a teacher before venturing into politics, said his experience in the classroom had continued to shape his understanding of governance and the critical role teachers play in building society.

“Having been a teacher before, I know the classroom. I know the responsibility it entails; standing before young minds and trying to make knowledge meaningful to them.

“Indeed, in March 2025, I deliberately returned to the classroom to teach, even while I was governor. Not just for ceremony, but to remind myself and demonstrate that the teaching profession remains at the flagship of the educational enterprise,” he said.

Aiyedatiwa dedicated the award to teachers in Ondo State and Nigeria, saying the recognition was not a personal achievement, but a tribute to teachers whose daily efforts shape the future of the country.

He said education remained a major priority of his administration and was embedded in its seven-pillar development agenda, the ‘OUR EASE’ mantra.

According to him, the state recruited more than 2,100 teachers into its primary and secondary schools in 2025, while investing in professional development, digital and pedagogical training, climate-smart instructional programmes and quality assurance.

He said his administration also constructed 43 new classroom blocks at a cost of about N3.1 billion in 2025, while 75 schools underwent complete renovation.

The governor added that the state procured 8,500 learners’ furniture and 1,200 teachers’ furniture, alongside textbooks, sports equipment and other learning materials.

Aiyedatiwa said learning resources worth more than N150 million were distributed across the three senatorial districts, while computer textbooks were provided to learners in all 18 local government areas.

He said the government had also established and taken over community secondary schools, while providing free shuttle buses and boats to ease transportation challenges faced by students.

On examination support, the governor disclosed that the state government paid N633.9 million for the registration of 23,048 public school students for the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination.

He added that the state also fully sponsored students for examinations conducted by the National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB).

Aiyedatiwa said his administration committed N350 million and N400 million to tertiary students’ bursary support in 2025 and 2026 respectively, while the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC) provided N286.7 million in bursaries to 4,837 students.

He also disclosed that the government was preparing students and teachers for the changing demands of the digital economy through investments and partnerships in artificial intelligence, digital literacy and emerging technologies.

According to him, the initiatives include AI-powered learning tools, smartphones, structured literacy programmes and the deployment of thousands of tablets in public schools.

He said computer laptops were also being provided to digitally trained teachers to prepare them for emerging fields such as robotics and artificial intelligence.

Beyond formal education, the governor said his administration was implementing the One Youth, One Skill initiative and establishing O’datiwa Skills Development Enterprise Centres to equip young people with technical and entrepreneurial skills.

Aiyedatiwa said his administration had also approved the establishment of a College of Nursing at Ikorodu and a College of Education at Abutu in the state to expand opportunities for professional and teacher education.

He stressed that regular payment of teachers’ salaries and allowances remained a priority, adding that his administration had continued the settlement of inherited gratuity arrears owed to retired public servants, including a significant number of retired teachers.

“If we truly desire a knowledge-driven society, we must give teachers the tools to teach, the environment to work, the dignity they deserve and the opportunity to continually renew their knowledge,” he said.

The governor’s recognition came against the backdrop of a renewed demand by the NUT for the Federal Government to implement the special salary scale approved for teachers.

NUT National President, Comrade Audu Titus Amba, represented by the Deputy National President, Comrade Kizito Kalu, said the salary structure approved in 2022 had yet to be implemented four years later.

Amba said the delay had negatively affected teachers’ morale and welfare, urging the Federal Government to immediately commence implementation of the approved salary regime.

He also called for improved working conditions, citing overcrowded classrooms, inadequate furniture, insufficient instructional materials and dilapidated school infrastructure.

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The NUT President further urged governments at all levels to recruit more professionally qualified teachers, particularly for rural and underserved communities, while providing incentives to retain them in the profession.

The 2026 World Teachers’ Day celebration also featured the President’s Teachers and Schools Excellence Awards, with Dr Adebayo Mary Oluwaseun of Nawair-Ud-Deen Grammar School (Senior), Abeokuta, Ogun State, emerging overall best teacher in Nigeria and receiving a brand-new car.

A total of four cars and one bus, among other prizes, were presented to winners in various categories.