As teachers across the world celebrated the Teachers’ Day, yesterday, the Federal Government said it would reintroduce the payment of bursary awards to students in tertiary institutions, just as it gave the assurance of ensuring the safety of students in schools.

On the bursary awards, the Federal Government said it would liaise with the 36 states Ministry of Education, including the FCT Education Board, with a view to making all key into the idea.

It proposed paying undergraduates N150,000 as bursary per annum, while students in Colleges of Education are to collect N100,000 each.

However, there is going to the  clause to benefitting from the scheme, as it would be for students in public institutions and beneficiaries would also sign an undertaking to serve the government for five years after graduation.

The Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, stated this in his keynote address at the celebration of the Teachers’ Day in Abuja.

He said the action was part of the resolutions of the National Implementation Committee constituted by the government following President Muhammdu Buhari’s pronouncement in repositioning the nation’s education sector and the teaching profession in particular, during 2020 World Teachers’ Day celebration.

According to the minister,” beneficiaries must attend public institutions only and sign a bond to serve their state for five years on graduation. The money would be sourced from UBEC, TETFund, and managed by the Federal Scholarship Board.”

He added that his ministry would collaborate with agencies like NTI, TRCN, CPN, NUC, NCCE, UBEC, PTDF, TETFund, and non-governmental organizations to organize training programmes in pedagogy and information and communication technology for academic and non-academic staff.

Similarly, President Buhari has given the assurance that steps are being taken to ensure the safety of students in schools across the country.

To achieve this, he said the Federal Ministry of Education would go into full partnership with the Federal Ministry of Defence to beef up security in schools with a view to ensuring that students and teachers are adequately protected and safe from harm.

Speaking against the backdrop of recurring cases of student and teachers abductions in schools, particularly in the northern part of the country, insisted that it was time for the full collaboration between the two ministries.

He spoke through his representative, the Minister of State for Education, Chkwuemeka Nwajiuba, at the commemoration of the 2021 World Teachers Day, WTD, and the President’s Teachers Schools Excellence Awards in Abuja.