ABUJA -- THE Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions, NASU,, has decried deep inequities in Nigeria's education policy, accusing the government of neglecting non-teaching staff in basic and post-basic education while prioritizing teachers.
The General Secretary of NASU, Prince Peters Adeyemi, in an article titled "Rethinking Equity in Nigeria's Education Policy," argued that the harmonised retirement age for teachers in Nigeria Act (2022), which extended the retirement age for teachers, blatantly excluded essential non-teaching personnel such as administrators, bursars, laboratory technicians, librarians, guidance counsellors, ICT staff, cleaners, and security officers.
Prince Adeyemi said: "By excluding Non-Teaching personnel, administrators, bursars, laboratory technicians, librarians, guidance counsellors, ICT staff, cleaners, and security officers, the Act fails to recognise the integrated nature of schools operations.'
He emphasized the foundational role of basic education, warning that its neglect undermines national development.
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According to him: "Basic education is the bedrock upon which all other forms of education rest. It provides learners with literacy, numeracy, civic awareness, and foundational problem-solving skills necessary for future academic success and national development."
He linked this to constitutional and international obligations, citing Section 18 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which mandates "equal and adequate educational opportunities at all levels," and Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, affirming "the right to free and compulsory basic education."
The NASU leader described schools as "ecosystems" where teachers rely on support staff, blasting the law's exclusions for creating "a hierarchy of value within the education workforce" that "demoralises essential personnel, increases turnover among support staff, and ultimately undermines the quality of education."
He accused the policy of breaching ILO Convention No. 111 on discrimination and No. 100 on equal remuneration, as well as undermining SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions).
Adeyemi highlighted a broader pattern of favoritism toward tertiary institutions, driven by unions like the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU and NASU's tertiary branches, leaving basic education workers vulnerable due to their reluctance to strike.
"Workers in basic and post-basic education, especially non-teaching staff, rarely resort to industrial action. Their limited bargaining power has made them more vulnerable to neglect," he noted, calling this a governance failure based on "political expediency" rather than policy.
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To address these issues, Adeyemi proposed urgent reforms, including uniform adoption of the retirement age law across all states, extending benefits to non-teaching staff, comprehensive welfare packages, proactive policymaking, and boosted funding for the Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC.
"Future amendments by states that have already domesticated the law and domestication by states that are yet to do so, should extend retirement-age benefits to non-teaching staff in line with Nigeria's obligations under ILO and UNESCO frameworks," he demanded.
The NASA scribe warned that:"Teachers alone cannot drive learning outcomes. Every school relies on a network of support staff whose contributions are indispensable. For Nigeria to truly realise its constitutional promise under Section 18 and fulfil its commitments under SDG 4, Government must adopt an inclusive, equitable approach."
NASU's position is coming amid ongoing debates over education funding and workforce welfare, with basic education outcomes lagging despite constitutional guarantees.
