By Mark Mayah
The Lagos State government has encouraged teachers to take advantage of the various opportunities available for training, self-development, and professionalism.
The Chairman of the Lagos State Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM), Mopelola Peregrino, gave the advice at the 3rd edition of the annual one-day colloquium and training for teachers, held in commemoration of World Teachers’ Day 2025.
Mrs Peregrino explained that continuous self-development was essential for teachers to stay abreast of emerging trends in education. She noted that this year’s theme, “The Impact of Industrial Relations Policies on Teachers’ Performance,” was carefully selected to broaden stakeholders’ understanding of how workplace policies influence conditions of service, job satisfaction, and overall performance.
“As a commission and as a government, I assure you that we will continue to promulgate policies that guarantee fair treatment, reasonable workloads, and timely compensation,” she said.
In her words, “We are also committed to providing effective grievance resolution channels that will improve morale and inspire greater productivity.”
The colloquium, according to Mrs Peregrino, was designed to bring together relevant stakeholders to brainstorm on topical issues that would inspire, educate, and strengthen professionalism in the teaching career.
In his lecture, the guest speaker, Issac Olatunde emphasized the need for harmony between teachers and their employers, noting that such cooperation was crucial to achieving optimal performance.
Said he: “While the government expects teachers to meet targets, it must also ensure that their welfare is adequately taken care of.”
In his remarks at the ocassion, the Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Lagos State chapter, Akintoye Hassan, reiterated that achieving the UNESCO-recommended student-to-teacher ratio of 1:25 remained a major challenge. He noted that ongoing recruitment drives by TESCOM for secondary schools and by SUBEB for primary schools were steps in the right direction.
Mr Hassan also renewed the union’s call for the state government to implement the 65-year retirement age policy for teachers.
