Nigeria: FEC approves bill to increase retirement age for teachers, says effort to encourage Nigerians into teaching

Reviewing the age for teachers in Nigeria, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved a bill to increase the retirement age earlier on Wednesday, according to a report by Premium Times.

The bill reportedly proposed extending the retirement age to 65 years from 60, causing an extension in the possible years of service to 40 years from 35.

Approved by FEC, the bill would be sent further to the Nigerian parliament in the legislative process before it becomes a law, said Adamu Adamu, the Education Minister, while attending an FEC meeting in Abuja.

The Bill termed as, 'Harmonized Retirement Age for Teachers in Nigeria Bill 2020', reportedly seeks legal aid to new measures by Muhammadu Buhari, the President of Nigeria's administration to enhance teaching.

Adamu said, "this memo that was approved for the Ministry of Education is a giant step towards what we set out to do last year, with the approval of some special packages for teachers by the president. So, at the meeting today, Council approved that a bill which will be called 'Harmonized Retirement Age for Teachers in Nigeria Bill 2020' be sent to the National Assembly for enactment into law so that all the promises made by the president and all the approvals he had given to me will now begin to be put into effect because this is the legal backing that is required for it".

He mentioned the extension of service years as the essence, quoting, "the essence of the bill actually is to give legal backing for the approval of a new retirement age of 65 for teachers and then the service period being extended to 40 years."

The bill also introduces other things to encourage Nigerians into teaching such as special allowances to those posting in rural areas, Bursary Award, among others, it reported.

"The intention is to attract the best brains to the teaching profession and for that, the president approved the reintroduction of bursary awards, improving teacher quality, funding teaching practice form TETFUND, enhanced entry point for teachers. The president also approved that there should be some special allowances, like rural posting allowance and science teachers' allowance," Adamu added.