N-Power: Fear grips beneficiaries over 2-year limit

Scores of Batch ‘A’ N-Power Teach beneficiaries, a social investment programme designed to engage unemployed graduates interested in teaching, have expressed fear over the two-year limit of the programme.

Those, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday, expressed fear that their two years engagement would soon wind-up; hence, they would again be thrown into the labour market.

NAN reports that each batch of the N-power programme of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration is designed to last for two years.

Meanwhile, the first batch of the N-Power teach beneficiaries would be winding-up in November, creating fears in most of the beneficiaries recruited into both primary and secondary schools across the country.

The N-Power teach volunteers scheme is designed to help improve basic education delivery in the country.

The volunteers were deployed as teacher assistants in primary schools in the country, assisting with teaching, school management and other functions within the schools.

Miss Doherty Christian, an N-Power teacher, told NAN that she was grateful to the government for engaging her for two years but pleaded with President Muhammadu Buhari for an extension of the programme.

Christian said she was already in love with the teaching job, adding that she would love to still stay around to impart knowledge into students.

She noted that their disengagement would be a disservice to the students who already have shortage of teachers, adding that the students were pleased when the N-Power came to fill the vacuum.

Mrs Elizabeth Omotayo, a teacher in one of the FCT secondary schools, said most of the schools suffered a dearth of teachers, adding that allowing the N-Power teachers to leave would be retrogression.

She called on the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to engage the N-Power teachers. This, she said, would further boost the quality of education in the FCT.

According to her, the students lack teachers in most of the important subjects, but when the N-Power teachers came, they filled the gap and they have had positive impact on the students.

Ahmed Abdullahi, also an N-Power teacher, called on the president not to disengage the teachers, adding that the ratio of teachers to students has now improved drastically.

He said rather than disengage them, the government should train and equip them, to improve the standard of education in the country.

Abdullahi said that since government was poised to improve the nation’s education, the N-Power would come handy, adding that disengaging the beneficiaries would do the country no good.

The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, had in a town hall meeting with beneficiaries in Yola on June 5, said he was pleased to hear the impact of the programme on the citizens.