Public school teachers to get free data bundle, says education minister

Adamu Adamu, minister for education, says the ministry is working with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to make provisions for a free data plan of at least 1 gigabyte for public school teachers.

Adamu spoke at the 2019 World Teachers Day celebration which held at the weekend in Abuja.

The minister, who was represented by Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, minister of state for education, said the move is aimed at enabling the teachers in public schools across the country to surf the web and obtain educational materials for teaching.

He also said the government is working to put in place a life insurance policy for public school teachers which would see that families of all insured teachers be given the benefits due to them upon the death of the holder.

“Government would pay N1 million as premium for male teachers, N1.2 million for female teachers. Science teachers would be insured with N1.5 million,” the minister said.

Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation (AGF), while speaking at the event, reiterated the need to attract and keep the brightest minds in the teaching profession by way of making favourable policies that would provide allowances and other benefits.

“Inclusive education is achievable through accepting, understanding and attending to student differences and diversities which include among others physical, cognitive, academic, social and emotional differences,” he ssaid.

“The federal government shall collaborate with state governments with a view to providing incentives to teachers, especially in the rural areas with a view to encouraging young talents to the teaching profession.”

The 2019 Teachers Day celebration, themed ‘Young Teachers: The Future of the Profession’, witnessed the conferment of 24 awards on different beneficiaries — including Godwin Obaseki, Edo state governor, who won the ‘Most Education-Friendly Governor’.