ASUSS, TUC demand Teaching Service Rule, better welfare for Ondo teachers

By Adebola Muili

The Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Ondo State councils, have called on the state government to strengthen teachers’ welfare and career progression through the implementation of a comprehensive Teaching Service Rule and other measures to improve their working conditions.

The unions made the demand at the 2026 World Teachers’ Day celebration in Ondo State, where they also called for timely payment of teachers’ leave bonus, progression to Grade Level 17 for qualified teachers, improved housing opportunities and regular government-sponsored capacity-building programmes.

Speaking at the event, ASUSS State Chairman, Comrade Amuda Tairu Abiola, said protecting the teaching profession required a clear professional framework that would define teachers’ rights, responsibilities and career progression.

He said the union would continue to engage the government constructively towards the development and implementation of a comprehensive Teaching Service Rule for the state.

According to him, the rule should cover promotion, transfer, discipline, retirement, conditions of service and other professional matters.

“A clear and comprehensive Teaching Service Rule will provide an appropriate professional framework for the teaching service,” Abiola said, describing it as “an institutional necessity.”

The ASUSS chairman also urged the government to sustain efforts on teachers’ promotion and provide opportunities for appropriate progression to Grade Level 17, where applicable within the structure of the service.

He said continuous professional development was equally necessary, given the rapid changes in technology, artificial intelligence and the learning needs of pupils.

Abiola therefore called for regular government-sponsored workshops, seminars, conferences, refresher courses and other capacity-building programmes for teachers and education administrators across the 18 local government areas of the state.

He commended the government for steps already taken on teachers’ promotion, the appointment of Tutors-General and efforts to improve access to car and housing loans.

However, he appealed for the timely payment of teachers’ leave bonus before subsequent school resumption periods, saying many teachers also had to meet school fees, transportation and other educational expenses for their children.

“Timely payment will therefore provide meaningful support to teachers at a period when their financial responsibilities are particularly high,” he said.

On housing, Abiola called for the development of low-cost housing units specifically for teachers, proposing that the initiative be known as the “Teachers’ Estate”.

He said such a project would demonstrate the government’s commitment to the welfare and dignity of teachers.

The ASUSS chairman also appealed for government support for the provision of an official union bus, noting that the union’s operations across the 18 local government areas required effective mobility for officials to visit schools, meet members and attend to welfare matters.

He similarly sought support for the completion and development of the ASUSS State Secretariat, describing it as an enduring institutional asset for present and future teachers.

Also speaking, the TUC chairman in the state, Comrade Clement Fatuase, backed the calls for improved welfare and professional development, saying the government had made positive interventions in teachers’ promotion, the appointment of Tutors-General and access to car and housing loans.

Fatuase, however, urged the government to address outstanding welfare issues, particularly the timely payment of leave bonus.

He said teachers were also parents who faced substantial financial responsibilities whenever schools resumed, adding that welfare benefits should reach workers when they were most needed.

“A welfare benefit is most meaningful when it gets to the worker when it is most needed,” Fatuase said.

The TUC chairman also urged the government to revisit the proposed low-cost housing scheme for teachers and work with ASUSS and other stakeholders towards establishing the Teachers’ Estate.

On the Teaching Service Rule, Fatuase said the profession could not be adequately protected where the rules governing it were unclear, inconsistently applied or inadequately implemented.

He called for proper and consistent implementation of the rule, as well as consultation with teachers’ representatives on areas requiring clarification or review.

Fatuase further advocated a clear and equitable pathway for qualified teachers to progress to Grade Level 17, saying such advancement would recognise their experience, competence and professional growth.

He also appealed to the government to support the completion of the Teachers’ Secretariat, which he said would provide an institutional base for meetings, training, capacity building and other professional activities.

Speaking with newsmen after the event, Amuda commended the cordial relationship between teachers and the Ondo State Government, urging teachers to reciprocate the support by maintaining discipline, integrity and dedication to duty.

Also speaking, the Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), Ondo State chapter, Mr Samuel Ayodele, commended the state government for its attention to teachers’ welfare, particularly the promotion of teachers and the prompt payment of salaries, leave bonus, pensions and gratuities.

Ayodele urged teachers to reciprocate the government’s efforts through continued dedication to duty and commitment to excellence.

Other dignitaries at the event commended teachers for their contributions to the development of society and called for sustained improvement in their welfare.

The celebration featured the presentation of awards to teachers from the 18 local government areas of the state in recognition of their outstanding performance and dedication to duty.

The 2026 World Teachers’ Day celebration was held under the theme, “Standing with teachers: 60 years of protecting the profession, advancing its status and shaping our futures.”

Fatuase said the theme should go beyond speeches and translate into practical measures that would protect teachers, advance their status and empower them to contribute more effectively to the development of the state.

“When we stand with teachers, we are standing with the future of Ondo State,” he said.