PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF TEACHING STATUS AND THEIR JOB SATISFACTION

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.6 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

In the history of human development, education has been the bedrock of any nations development. In the traditional African society, it was through the education of the child by its parents, community, and peer group that the culture and norm of that society were transmitted to its younger generations and therefore preserved. In our complex modern society, the rule of education cannot be overemphasized. It ranged from that of self realization, the development of human relationship, of self and national economic efficiency, of the development of national economic efficiency, of the development of national Economic consciousness, of the development of effective citizenship and civil responsibility of establishing and maintaining national unity, of social and political progress, and of the development of scientific and technological awareness.

For the effective realization of the these educational goal, it is obviously pertinent to look at the teacher whose responsibility is to impact the required knowledge his very lowly beginning, his public image and the effects of these on the teaching profession. About the early 1920s, the teacher was an important person, especially in the rural parts of the country. He not only understand the white man’s language and behaviour, but could speak it and behave alike. All letters of importance were written by and read it to the owners by him. His mode of dressing and standard of living were far above what ordinarily obtained in the villages. During this period, the teaching profession had quite a lot of attraction and now entrants abounded. However as times went on, people shied emphasis from the teaching live to advancing into secondary and grammer school. It was found out that the salary structure of teachers and that of graduate of grammer schools were quite wide. The clerks in the education departments who kept records of work of teachers received liberal salaries with pension, while the teachers received appallingly low salaries.

With the introduction of the university education, the teacher found the interiority of his training to the secondary school education and for that he struggled for his G.C.E (General Certificate in Education) which will enable him quality for admission into the university. As time went on, the image of the teacher continued going down the rungs of the ladder. The state of affairs was intensified in the 1960’s because, the Nigerian society no longer sustained the status she accorded the teacher who he was the only educated man in the community. As secondary school graduates receiving higher salaries than the teacher, the status of the latter suffered because the Nigerian society mistakenly equated status with wealth. To worsen his situation, the teacher bore the brunt of what ever economic hardship plagued the nation in the past, in the form of delayed salaries, cuts in salaries and fringe benefits, and or complete withdrawal of whatever fringe benefits he may have been enjoying. However, recently at the onset of oil boom and Nigerian economic recession, more attractive jobs were no longer easily available. Teaching came to the rescue as people jump to other jobs of their choice whenever the opportunity is available.

1.7 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Most teachers were once at a time as remarkable people in the society. Tafewa Balewa was a Nigerian, He started a career in teaching profession and later, he joined politic and from there became Nigeria’s prime minister. Alhaji Shehu shagari, Late Michael Adekunle Ajaisin, Late Samuel Ladoke Akintola to mention but a few, started as teachers and they are very great in the society. But those were in the olden days, when teachers were gods. They were seen as people sent by God to take ignorance away from land in substitute for fortunes and good tidings of life. Teachers in the olden days were next to kings but now his counterpart in modern times is easily recognize when cornered. He moves about in tattered clothes. His shoes are worn-out. He is so lean and dry that his trouser occasionally drops from his buttocks. When he puts on a tie, there is always a wide gap between his neck and the collar of his shirt. He is always hungry and hence always angry. Out of anger at times, he beats a student and the next day, the parent of the child comes to school to harass him.

He dares not introduce himself before important people as teachers if he wants recognition, rather, he prefers a more polished phrase Education consultant. Because his salary is too meager to him for the month, he resorts to extorting money from the students using one excuse or the other. Some of the students even call him by various appellations and he answers joyfully. Nobody recognizes him who he attends a community function. He finds it difficult to get a lady of his choice because no girl wants a teacher for a date. He dares not attend a political meeting if his pocket is not fat enough, else he will not be recognized. Now, every students want to be taught by him, but no student wants to be in his profession. Every parent needs him to teach his son or daughter but no parents want his son or daughter to teach to earn a living.