The National Union of Teachers (NUT) has called on the Federal Government to implement the special salary scale approved for teachers in basic and secondary schools under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
The NUT National Deputy President, Kizito Kalu, made the demand in Abuja on Monday while delivering the union’s 2026 World Teachers’ Day address at Eagle Square.
Kalu recalled that the Federal Government approved the special salary scale in 2022 alongside other welfare packages, but said implementation had yet to commence four years after the approval.
“Teachers must receive remuneration that reflects the importance of their responsibilities and the prevailing economic realities in the country,” he said.
“We wish to recall that the Federal Government, under former President Muhammadu Buhari, gave approval for the implementation of a special salary scale for teachers in basic and secondary schools in the year 2022 alongside other welfare packages.
“We, therefore, renew our call on the government to set machinery in motion for actualisation of the new salary regime for teachers in order to boost their morale and enhance their dignity.”
The union also called for improved working conditions for teachers, with Kalu highlighting overcrowded classrooms, inadequate furniture and insufficient instructional materials as some of the challenges affecting the profession.
He said teachers could not be expected to perform optimally without adequate facilities and resources to support effective teaching and learning.
The 2026 World Teachers’ Day is being observed under the theme, “Standing with teachers: 60 years of protecting the profession, advancing the status and shaping our futures.” UNESCO said the theme marks the 60th anniversary of the 1966 ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers.
World Teachers’ Day is observed annually on 5 October and was established in 1994 to commemorate the 1966 recommendation on the status of teachers.
