LAGOS- The Lagos State chapter of Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), on Sunday urged the Federal Government to start allocating 26 per cent of national budget to education in line with UNESCO’s recommendation.
Chairman of the union in the state, Mr Segun Raheem, made the call during interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
Raheem said the call had become imperative in order to improve the standard of education in the country.
He also called on the government to “invest on teachers’’ as recommended by the National Economic Summit.
He said that its implementation would improve the standard of education and end incessant strikes.
“If we improve on teachers’ welfare and the ratio of teachers to pupils put at 40-1 in a class, the rate of assimilation will improve and teachers encouraged to discharged their duties”, Raheem said.
The NUT chairman commended the government for the prompt payment of teachers’ salaries.
He, however, pleaded with the Lagos State Government to pay the 2012 arrears of the 11 per cent of the Teachers’ Specific Allowance and urged teachers to be dedicated to their duties.
The Federal Government allocated N493.45 billion or 10.69 per cent of the N4.69 trillion 2014 budget to education. (NAN)