PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF TEACHING STATUS AND THEIR JOB SATISFACTION

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1       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 shifted 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.