By Tina Amanda
The Medical Women Association of Nigerians (MWAN) has called on the government to allocate more resources to the field of education including medical education, in order to reduce difficulties faced by teachers.
The National President MWAN, Professor Rosemary Ogu, made the call in a press statement signed alongside the National Secretary, Dr. Vetty Agala while commemorating World Teachers Day.
According to them, a better society can not be created if the difficulties faced by teachers and the global shortage of teachers are not urgently and properly addressed.
The Association maintained that teachers deserve the best as they impart knowledge, influence socio-cultural and behavioral aspects of people, and also contribute greatly to an individual’s mental and emotional health and overall well-being.
The statement thus read: “As the President of the Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria and on behalf of our Executives and entire members from across the nation, I stand beside our
educators who mold minds, nurture dreams, and make the world a better place.
“The shaping of young minds towards educational attainment is not just a result of institutional systems but also of the dedicated efforts of thousands of teachers across different fields of endeavor.
It is an auspicious occasion to highlight and acknowledge the vital role teachers play in society towards developing individuals who can contribute constructively to the betterment of our world.
“As we celebrate and commemorate this day, we cannot ignore the glaring issue of teacher shortage. The gap between the number of qualified teachers and the number of students, especially in rural and remote areas, threatens to undermine the quality of education.
“It is an imperative call globally – to provide an environment that attracts more individuals to the teaching profession and retain them. In the medical profession, we consider teachers as important as any health worker because they not only impart knowledge but also contribute to an individual’s mental and emotional health and overall well-being.
“This dual role makes their job not only necessary but life-transforming. Yet, given the circumstances triggered by the ongoing socio-economic challenges including the ever-present threats of
pandemics, teachers have been pushed into a nearly impossible situation where they have had to quickly adapt to new technologies and teaching methods, many times lacking the necessary
resources and support.
“Despite these herculean challenges, they have remained undeterred in
their commitment to imparting quality education. Teachers are the bedrock of
education, unfortunately, there is a global shortage of teachers, it’s a pressing issue that affects the quality of education worldwide.
“We must ask ourselves; how we can ensure every child has access to quality education? This challenge requires our collective attention and action.
“Today, as Medical Women we stand in solidarity and pledge to do more than just shower our teachers with praises. We call on the Government to allocate more resources to the field of
education including and especially medical education, actively works towards reducing the difficulties teachers face, and not least of all, addressing the global shortage of teachers.
“The theme for this year’s event which is “The Teachers We Need for the Education We Want: The Global Imperative to Reverse Teacher Shortage” rightfully points towards the urgency to fill this gap, for it is only with the sufficient quantity and high quality of teachers that we can traverse to the path of education we want, creating the society we intend to nurture”.
