The Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools has called for adequate funding of education at all levels. ASUSS made this known in celebration of world teachers’ day held in Osogbo, the state capital.
Delivering his lecture entitled; Right to Education, means to right to qualified teachers, Dr Oloidi described right to education as creating high quality teaching and learning environments where there freedom from violence, harassment, where individuality and diversity are respected and where everyone is allowed to participate fully.
He said the universal right to quality education for all includes equal participation, such as young, old, disabled, male and female, children of the poor and rich, rural and urban dwellers must have equitable access to quality education from primary to tertiary level.
According to him, quality education must be publicly financed, government needs to invest in quality education for social, democratic and economic development. He stressed invest more in education to eradicate high level of illiteracy in society.
Oloidi noted that the right to education cannot be achieved without the right to qualified teachers, stressing that this can only be fulfilled when teachers are well trained and qualified.
” An education system is only good as its teachers. Teachers are essential to universal and quality education, they are central to shaping the minds and attitudes of the coming generations to deal with new global challenges and opportunities”.
He opined that improving the educational system is not only dependent on recruiting more teachers but also on the level of qualification of the available teachers and teaching profession is not supposed to be an all comers affairs that politicians have turned it to. “No qualified teachers, no right to education”.
He, therefore urged the Osun state government to continue to prioritise the welfare of teachers and fund public education in the state for quality education.
Speaking at the event, outgoing chair of the union, comrade Adekunle Obawole who thanked the state governor, Mr Rauf
Aregbesola for recognising ASUSS as one the trade unions in the state, urged the state government to further raise the standard of education in the state and improve welfare of teachers so that government investment in education would not be a mirage.
“Our children need unhindered access to quality education through of government and teachers.
Adequate funding of public education would enable children of the poor to compete with other children in the world”.
The commissioner for social needs, youths and sports, comrade Biyi Odunlade appreciates the union for its steadfastness and struggle for better education in the state. He however advised the union to continue supporting government policies and programmes on education aimed at improving standard of education in the state.
The new Chairman of the union, comrade Olusegun Adediran thanked members of the union for perseverance and sacrifice for freedom of the union and quality teaching.
