It is vitally important that the submission in this week’s column be rendered outside of any industrial controversies that usually surround this vexed issue of our time. So, no taking sides, no schisms, no rancour. Only a sober and reflective engagement. That said, how would you feel if I told you that an “Okada” operator earns much more than the average teacher in this country? How would you feel if I further told you that the teaching profession can be as stressful, if not more stressful than the “Okada” business? Teachers are routinely cursed and spat at by the very children they teach; they are subject to abuse, even bullied by unruly parents; physically and psychologically assaulted on a daily basis in the course of their duty; derided and mocked for their perseverance etc. How would you react if I told you that these same teachers help build and mould leaders of tomorrow? That these teachers are responsible, ab initio, for sowing the seed of success in our inventors, innovators, visionaries, lawyers, engineers, doctors, scientists, captains of industry and political leaders? And, finally, how would you feel if I then told you that teachers (almost without exception) are paid pittance for their effort? That the teaching profession is one of the least appreciated, least remunerated and least valued in society? Why on earth would anyone want to be a teacher, you might wonder? My reference to ‘teacher’ in this piece is employed in a generic sense; it cuts across all schools, from kindergarten to higher institutions.
Imagine this. Anthony Joshua, the London-born, Nigerian heavyweight boxing champion of the world, was reported to have earned around $60m for one hour’s job inside the ring in his rematch with Andy Ruiz Jr in Saudi Arabia on December 7, 2019. No teacher anywhere in this country could ever gross one million dollars even if they toiled day and night in the classroom for their entire professional life. In fact, it would take the average teacher 200 years of non-stop work to make what Anthony Joshua made from just one bout of boxing last month. The ultimate irony is that while a teacher tries to build up a person’s brain, a boxing champion is rewarded for drawing blood; trying to punch the sense out of his opponent. By the way, the startling analogy does not end there. Top Nollywood stars in this country, for instance, would not appear on any set for anything less than an eye-watering figure for even a minor part. Likewise footballers, musicians, racing drivers, exotic dancers etc, all commanding fees someone in the teaching profession can only ever dream of. Lest anyone be mistaken, these other professionals deserve every kobo they earn from their sweat. The point here is not to make a crude comparison by being harshly judgmental, but simply to highlight the absurdity of the societal value system we live under.
Teachers are expected to undergo rigorous academic, professional, on-the-job training for a few years before they are licensed to teach. They are then subjected to continuous supervision and annual reviews and performance assessment to make sure they remain up to date with current training levels. No such training or performance reviews are required of the artisans and ‘in demand’ actresses and actors. There is a hoard of football dollar-millionaires on the pitch who are rightly adored for their skill, but are otherwise functioning illiterates for all practical purposes. But, I hasten to add, ability to read and write does not count as long as you can dribble, assist, and score goals. The counter argument, I guess, is that footballers and actors are being paid for their talent, and their crowd-pulling prowess, hence the inflated figures often attached to them. The fallacy of that point is to concede that teachers have no talent, and that one does not have to be talented to be a teacher. This is obviously so preposterous as not to require a rebuttal. What does it take to impart knowledge if not talent and special skill?
The other point is that, perhaps, teachers only get what the ‘market’ is willing to pay. This argument places market value on a commodity, (i.e. education), that is outside the market economy. Education has never been driven by profit maximisation, it is a right conferred upon citizens for the benefit of all. Apart from that, it is well-acknowledged that good teachers are rare and difficult to find. Why then is it that teachers’ remuneration does not reflect this? There was an interesting story of a studious, courageous and hardworking teacher in a tertiary institution, a few years ago, in this country, who did his best to prop up a struggling business administration student until he graduated with a ‘pass’ certificate. Six years down the line, this same student wrote to his former teacher on his letterhead as Managing Director of an energy company clearly emblazoned on the top right corner. “As you can see…”, the former student wrote, “I have just assumed my position, having been headhunted to head up the new branch of the company in Gabon. Please feel free to get in touch in future if you think I can be of help…you guys work so hard for so little”. It probably finally dawned on the newly promoted MD to acknowledge the scale of the teacher’s sacrifice for his career advancement, even if his missive appears tongue in cheek on this particular occasion. Teachers not only teach errant students, they parent them, pamper them wherever that is called for, discipline and guide them, take the worst attitude in them and turn it into something more engaging and productive, yet, they are barely acknowledged by society, let alone giving them their just rewards. Many suffer from depression, psychological trauma and even suicidal tendency out of a sense of inadequacy at various intervals. Why-o-why then does anyone bother going into the teaching profession?
The answer is, most people in the profession do so consciously or by persuasion in the belief that being a teacher is a vocation; a higher calling of some sort, and not just a job. And let us be honest, many others remain in the profession for want of a better alternative. So, when you hear a teacher quietly muttering, “A teacher’s reward is in heaven”, it is not out of conviction; it is out of resignation. It is more an admission of defeat, and helplessness than a statement of truth. It is sarcasm overlaid by dry humour. Most teachers would like to be rewarded here on earth as they too have bills to pay, children to send to school, transport fares to pay, a nice house to live in, the elderly to take care of, and material benefits to enjoy. Union leaders often try and fail to secure better pay deals and working conditions for teachers, and if and when forced to go on an industrial strike, members of this noble profession are painted as the devil incarnate, who glory in suffering poor innocent students in their care for their own ‘selfish’ end. And, when poor performance is recorded in schools, the teacher is pilloried for not being ‘well-qualified’, or for being ‘incompetent’, ‘indolent’, ‘lazy’ etc.
As a society, we expect miracles from our teachers, yet, we place higher value on sports, entertainers, comedians and fashion icons in our midst. Our warped priorities and ambivalence on the value of teachers, more than anything else, remain the barrier to progress. But, who cares? With teachers, it is always easy to have our cake and eat it at the same time.
END
Be the first to comment