I can't believe we are already five days into October, everything is moving as fast as it can and that means we must double our effort at which we move towards achieving success.
Today is a glorious day, a day that's worth celebrating in the honor of the people who have dedicated their life towards impacting others with knowledge. Imagine a world without them, I wonder how knowledge would transfer from generation to generation.
Who are these people?
I call them heroes because they have been very important to every generation, as important as they are, every profession must go through them. In some cases, they don't give it all and you have to go out there to develop yourself but that would be on the foundation they have laid in you.
Teaching is one profession that a lot of people have taken for granted in the world today, it might not be the same in every part of the world but I can talk on behalf of the teachers who are struggling to make ends meet in the world.
If you agree with me, you and I might not be here if we haven't gone through any form of education in life, this would make us agree to the importance of education even though it doesn't guarantee success and yet, it gives us the platform to take on several opportunities that life might send our way.
Before I go on, I would like to make us understand one thing. Our teachers at school aren't the only persons that can be referred to as teachers, it involves everyone who played the role of passing knowledge unto us, different people also contributed to imparting knowledge into us and they include our parents because they gave us the first-hand knowledge we needed before going for proper education.
I feel today isn't celebrated as it should because a lot about the future depends on these people that we don't value their services amongst us. Over 50% of teachers are struggling to live a normal life because they aren't been paid properly according to their effort.
From my observation, a lot of people are losing interest in the job daily. Even kids at school ain't willing to become a teacher anymore because they see what their teachers are going through putting on bad shoes, old clothes, and others.
Who would they want the same?
The good thing is that some people are still very much passionate about the profession, they have dedicated their everything to inculcate knowledge into the coming generation.
Sometimes, it baffles me why they have to go through lots of issues just because they have chosen that path.
Why must that profession suffer that much?
Here in Nigeria, they go on endless strikes often and often just for the world to hear their cry. As if paying them low is not enough, they still go on owing them salaries for months. I called that cruelty because treating the people who help train people for the future like they are nobody is a terrible thing.
During the lockdown, I found it hard to believe that some schools had to halt the teacher's salaries because the schools weren't functioning. I was once a teacher and I can tell how difficult it is combining that profession with other works, it is time consuming and stressful talking all day.
How do they expect them to survive?
Whether we agree or not, schools are making a lot of money. You will see school owners riding expensive vehicles while their teachers can't afford a three square meal and the government ain't even helping situations.
Most teachers ain't earning 10% of their class tuition fee which is a terrible thing.
I loved the profession then but earning peanut discouraged me, who doesn't want a good life?
These people have families they cater to, they have responsibilities and we mustn't take their effort for granted. I have read stories that have to do with successful people helping teachers from their childhood days and it has become a dream for me too.
We paid for their services but most of them didn't enjoy what we gave them and I will confidently say that there is nothing wrong with supporting them now that they are too weak to teach or even wipe kids as they did to us then.
We must embrace the act of reaching out to them, let them feel loved. Make them feel like we valued everything they have done for us during that day and I pray that the Almighty God put their love in our hearts.
I hope the world gets better someday and teachers would be treated like they truly deserve.
There are teachers on the platform and I have read several articles from them so I will be using the opportunity to wish them a happy teachers' day.
To every parent as well, thank you for doing a great job. Thanks for reading.
Our teachers are our real heroes who make it possible for us to stand here, and to differentiate between what is good and bad. But I am sad to hear the hardships teachers faced due to low and delay salary. I just want to pay tribute to teachers for their selfless efforts.