By Chukwuka Ugokwe, Awka
Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has pledged to recruit more teachers and appoint qualified teachers who have attained the Director level as Permanent Secretaries in the next batch of appointments.
Soludo made the pledge on Monday, October 5, 2026, at the 2026 World Teachers’ Day celebration held at the Anambra State Teachers’ House, Awka.
The celebration was themed: “Standing With Teachers: 60 Years of Protecting The Profession, Advancing Its Status And Shaping Our Futures.”
The Governor explained that while teachers’ promotion ends at the level of Director, the position of Permanent Secretary is by appointment.
“Promotion of teachers ends at the level of a Director, while the post of a Permanent Secretary is by appointment, and right now, we have some names who have applied and are undergoing scrutiny. In the next batch, the eligible ones among you will be appointed,” he said.
Soludo also reiterated that the retirement age of 60 remains in force, but said teachers who wish to continue beyond that age could do so voluntarily, subject to expressing their interest and passing a merit-based assessment.
The Governor commended teachers for their dedication to educating and moulding children, while also acknowledging their support for his re-election.
“Teachers are the greatest force that drives society to greater heights. It is a noble profession which shows the light and must be the light. The future of Anambra is in your hands; ensure you go to school daily,” Soludo said.
He said his administration had embarked on several development projects which, upon completion, would transform the state.
“The new aerotropolis, the new industrial city, the new markets and the new heartland of Igboland that will be the gateway to the Southeast, is in the making.
“Our grandchildren, great-grandchildren in fifty or a hundred years to come will see the new Anambra that we are laying the foundation for today,” he said.
Earlier, the Chairperson of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Anambra State Wing, Comrade Chika Grace Chukwudozie, welcomed the Governor and his entourage.
She explained that World Teachers’ Day commemorates the 1966 recommendations of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) on the status of teachers.
According to her, the annual celebration also provides an opportunity to recognise teachers and review issues affecting the profession and ongoing interventions in the education sector.
“Every year, teachers are celebrated on October 5 to enlighten society on the enormous responsibilities and roles teachers play in shaping and re-shaping the learner, which culminates in a sustainable, reliable and egalitarian society,” she said.
Chukwudozie said the narrative in Anambra’s education sector was being re-written, citing what she described as the Soludo administration’s commitment to improving the status of education in the state.
She commended the administration for the regular payment of teachers’ salaries and allowances, promotions, training and retraining, extensive school renovations and the upgrading of some schools to smart schools.
She also cited the introduction of free education through senior secondary school as an intervention aimed at reducing the number of out-of-school children in the state.
Other interventions, she said, include the rehabilitation and equipping of technical schools, donations of learning materials, provision of shuttle buses and speedboats for teachers, students and monitoring teams, as well as support and learning materials for students with physical disabilities.
The NUT chairperson, however, appealed to the Governor to recruit more teachers, raise the teachers’ promotion ceiling to Salary Grade Level 17, appoint qualified teachers as Permanent Secretaries and implement the new retirement age for teachers.
Tags: #WorldTeachersDay #Anambra #Soludo #Teachers
