FEC okays 66 years retirement age for teachers

By Egena Sunday Ode

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the Harmonized Retirement Age for Teachers Bill, 2021, which seeks to give legal backing to new measures by the current administration to enhance the teaching profession in the country.
The council meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential villa, Abuja on Wednesday, approved the bill to be sent to the National Assembly for its consideration and possible approval.
If approved by the lawmakers, the retirement age of teachers will move from 60 years to 65 while the years of service will also move from 35 to 40.
Recall that President Buhari had in June last during the annual World Teachers Day celebration announced some far reaching policy adjustment to enhance the service condition of teachers in the country.
Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, who disclosed this to State House correspondents at the end of the weekly council meeting, said some highlights of the bill include the introduction of bursary award, special rural posting allowances and other measures to attract the best brains to the profession.
He said: “This memo that was approved for education is a giant step towards what we set out to do towards the end of last year with the approval by Mr President of some special packages for teachers. So, at the meeting today, the council approved that bill which will be called Harmonized Retirement Age for Teachers in Nigeria Bill, 2021 to be sent to the National Assembly for enactment into law. So, all the promises the President made and all the approvals that he has given me will now begin to put into effect because this is a legal backing that is required for it.
“I want to assure teachers that this government will do to them what has never been done. This is the first biggest step.
“The intention is to attract the best brains to the teaching profession. For that, the President approved the reintroduction of bursary awards which I told you here last year, improving teacher quality, and funding teaching practice from TETFUND.
“He approved an enhanced entry point for teachers. Then, he approved that there should be some special allowances that will allow teachers to be posted to places you can consider ‘hardship postings’, rural posting allowance, science teacher allowance, and, of course, we have Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) under us that has professionalized the profession.
“Those are the highlights which you already know. But this is the biggest stage now. We are getting legal backing for all these things.
The essence of the bill is to seek approval so that there is legal backing for the new retirement age of 65 years for teachers and the service period being extended to 40 years for teachers. This is the main issue while all other issues are ancillary to it. “
Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Niyi Adebayo who also briefed correspondent on the outcome of the FEC meeting disclosed that about one billion naira contract was approved by council for the upgrade of the electricity component of the Calabar Free Trade Zone Area.
“The contract was initially awarded in 2018 to upgrade the electrical facility in the free trade zone area and it was not completed. So, we brought a memo and Council approved the sum of N1 billion Naira, 4 hundred and eighty four thousand naira for the. Completion of the calabar free trade zone area,”he said.
Also, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Sabo Nanono, announced that a memo on a Treaty on Plant Genetic Resource for Food and Agriculture presented by his ministry was approved by council.
According to him, “The import of this treaty is for the advancement and enhancement of agricultural resource base of the member countries.”
He noted that Nigeria had signed the treaty for a long time but it is only now that FEC approved the ratification.
“We will now become full member of this treaty and it will enhance training and research of our agricultural scientists, among others and so on and so forth.
In short, the entire treaty is meant to boost agricultural production in the country as it affects other countries, 167 of them,” he explained.