Sponsored of the Retirement Age of Teachers and Educational Officers Bill 2019, Honourable Adesegun Abdel-Majid Adekoya, representing Ijebu-North/Ijebu-East/Ogun Waterside Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, expressed satisfaction over the passage of the bill by the Senate. The bill had earlier been passed by the House of Reps.

Reacting to the recent concurrence by the Upper Chamber, Hon Adekoya said that over the years, teachers had been clamouring for the extension of their retirement age as many of them still remain active and have more to contribute even beyond the 60 years age limit.

He maintained that the nation’s education is disadvantaged and has lost quality teachers due to early retirement of without commensurate recruitment to fill their space.

The lawmaker said that most retired teachers still have a lot to offer and are often employed by private schools to tap into their wealth of experience. He argued that the older the teachers, the more patient and caring they become in attending to the needs of pupils and students.

According to him, “The business of disseminating knowledge gets better with age, and the older the teachers, the more experienced they become, and their temperament also gets better in understanding the needs of the pupils and students. They also have more time to guide and mentor younger teachers along the line.”

Adekoya said that “the extension would also serve as a viable means of curbing the challenge of low manpower in public schools.”