Suspend Extension of Teachers Retirement age, unpopular policy —Ondo Workers petition Aiyedatiwa, HoS, Labour
A group of Ondo State government’s workers have written the State Governor, Hon. Lucky Oriminsan Aiyedatiwa, and the State Head of Service, Mr Bayo Phillip to immediately suspend a policy of elongating years of service for teachers in ondo state.
The Concerned workers described the policy as unpopular and anti- youths who are unemployed in the state.
In a letter to the governor, the concerned workers whose letter was signed by two of their members, Aiyenigba Olatunji and Johnson Ojo, said the policy would lead to redundancy in the teaching profession.
Below is the full text of the letter;
5th March, 2024.
Your Excellency,
Hon. Lucky Oriminsan Aiyedatiwa,
The Executive Governor of Ondo State.
Dear Governor,
A CALL FOR SUSPENSION OF AN UNPOPULAR AND ANTI-YOUTH POLICY: A DEMAND TO REVIEW THE POLICY OF ELONGATING YEARS OF SERVICE FOR TEACHERS IN ONDO STATE
We sincerely appreciate your Excellency for your unwavering commitment to the welfare and well-being of all citizens of Ondo State. You have consistently demonstrated your dedication to providing the best possible working conditions for workers and the highest quality of life for residents. We are grateful for the progress that has been made under your leadership and look forward to continued success in the future.
The effort of Your Excellency’s Administration towards improving education in the State is the envy of other States. However, we are deeply concerned that the recently announced policy of elongating years of service for teachers may undermine the progress that has been made and jeopardize the future of education in the State. No society jokes with productive and active populace.
It will interest Your Excellency to know that during the 2023 Meeting of the National Council of Establishments held recently in Bauchi, the Council rejected the proposal for elongation of service for Public Servants, citing the potential negative impacts. In place of this request, the Council encouraged the government to focus on creating more job opportunities.
The Council took into account the population dynamics of the country and determined that an upward review of the retirement age would not be beneficial. Instead, the Council emphasized the importance of policies that support the overall goals of the country and create opportunities for its citizens.
We share the Council’s concerns, and believe that this policy would be detrimental to the interests of both teachers and the State. Anybody above 60yr-old or to have spent 35yrs in service can no longer stand for hours to teach. Therefore the policy is unpopular but some former appointees misled and took the advantage of ill-health of late Governor Former, Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu to approve the policy.
We (concerned workers) therefore appeal to Your Excellency to suspend the policy through the new Head of Service and review it properly in the overall interest of the state. Sir, you can order independent investigation, you will surely know is a very unpopular policy Sir.
Your Excellency, we strongly oppose the policy for the following reasons:
It could lead to a lack of opportunities for younger teachers, who may struggle to find employment due to the increased competition.
No Southwest state is interested in this policy because it was viewed as retrogressive and anti-youth. Hence, it could create an unfair advantage for older teachers, who may already have more seniority and experience. This may lead to unnecessary power tussle in the system.
Since You have approved Recruitment of new teachers into our schools, the policy should be suspended to allow Government has more resources to take care of prospective new Teachers.
It could lead to lower morale and motivation among teachers, as they may feel that their efforts and contributions are not valued or recognized.
It could have negative effects on the quality of education, as the lack of opportunity for new teachers could result in a stagnation of ideas and methods. Some the old teachers are tired and could not even learn modern/ fresh ideas about teaching
It could create a perception of age discrimination, as younger teachers may feel that they are being unfairly disadvantaged. The new teachers may be over burden by their ‘mummies & Daddies’ old teachers.
It could lead to a negative impact on the overall economy, as a lack of opportunity and motivation could lead to a decline in productivity and efficiency.
It could lead to lack of innovations and creativity in the teaching profession, as new perspectives and ideas are not given the chance to flourish. The ‘retired’ teachers would no longer be productive to improve the education system of the state.
Increasing costs for the State due to additional years of benefits and support. It is important to note that increased costs for the State could not only impact the budget, but also have a ripple effect on other areas of the education system.
Even if the years of service should be extended, any intending beneficiaries must first retire from service in accordance with the Pension Act. This would ensure that the Pension Act is followed and that all benefits and entitlements are correctly administered. By following this process, we can ensure that the system is fair and transparent for all involved.
Our investigation revealed that the policy is very unpopular among the secondary school teachers while very few primary school teachers (less than just 10 of them) indicated interest. Our finding indicated that most of them prefer to have their teeming unemployed graduates recruited by the Ondo State government.
In light of the potential negative consequences of this policy, we respectfully request that Your Excellency use your position to put this policy on hold and direct the cancellation of the scheduled screening exercise for intending beneficiaries.
We believe that this action is necessary to avoid the harmful effects of this policy and to protect the interests of the State and its citizens.
In conclusion, we wish to reiterate our respect and gratitude for your leadership and dedication to the people of Ondo State. We urge you to consider the concerns we have raised in this letter and take appropriate action to protect the interests of the State and its citizens.
We plead you consider the content of this letter and not the writers please.
Yours Faithfully,
Aiyenigba Olatunji & Johnson Ojo for over 25,250 Concerned Workers of the State
