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By Gabriel Dike
The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has begun consultations with stakeholders on future funding of the Federal Teachers’ Scheme (FTS).
In 2006, the Federal Government established the FTS to support states to address shortage of teachers at the basic education level.
Executive secretary of UBEC, Dr. Hamid Bobboyi, said non-provision of funds by the National Assembly may threaten the continuation of FTS nationwide, which has 3,923 teachers enrolled in the scheme.
Bobboyi disclosed that N1.9 billion was approved for the scheme in 2022, while no provision has been made for 2023. He said the two-year tenure for teachers engaged in FTS would end in December 2022. He recalled that FTS was established to augment states’ workforce with quality teachers, adding, “We need to generate enough resourses to take care of teachers, who are grooming future leaders.”
Said he: ‘‘it is important to engage quality teachers but the resource keeps declining. We are pushing so that the FTS doesn’t collapse, because the Federal Government has not made provision for the scheme in 2023.
“The National Assembly says any statutory agency cannot get additional fund. We came to Lagos to monitor the scheme and discuss the way forward, how to get fund to run the scheme. We have to find ways to fill in the gaps to support states and ensure the quality we are looking at is attained.
“The scheme has to be funded internally, it is no longer going to be funded by the Federal Government. If we find ways to get funding, we will increase the payment to teachers. If it continues beyond December 2022, we would pay more.”
Bobboyi also disclosed that, in many states, teachers collect money and go home without working. He stated that some teachers and head teachers connive and share the monthly stipend, noting, “You find this kind of crisis in states that don’t care about education.”
The UBEC boss said for 2022, FTS got N1.9billion allocation and that no additional fund were provided for in 2023, the stoppage of fund would not affect the current beneficiaries but from January 2023, there may be problem of funding. That is why UBEC is looking for the way forward.’’
He urged Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (LASUBEB) to retain the 99 FTS teachers because they are helping to boost basic education in the state.
The Coordinator of FTS in Lagos, Mr. Kamorudeen Jimoh, said the state was allocated 102 teachers and that during monitoring, 99 were found in schools, two had stopped work while one left in January 2023 after collecting the stipend.
“Information reaching us is that they are doing well in the various schools. The teachers have been given additional task in the schools. Lagos State has mechanism to track them when they sign in and out. They are teaching in line with the national curriculum,’’ Jimoh noted.
The Director of Teachers Programme Development, Mr. Mayowa Aleshin, said the FTS teachers were selected on merit after writing exam conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board. He said the beneficiaries and head teachers have found the scheme useful.
On increment of payment, Aleshin said the UBEC executive secretary was thinking of sending a proposal to the National Assembly for an increment to N60, 000.
In their contributions, the beneficiaries applauded the FTS and UBEC for the opportunity to teach, commended LASUBEB for giving them additional training. On challenges, they spoke about increased population of pupils, lack of structure and delay in payment as well as demand for an increment in the stipend.
Head teachers of beneficiaries’ schools lauded the scheme and urged the state and federal governments to retain the teachers who they described as doing a wonderful job.
