Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State has approved the raising of the limit of graduate teachers in primary schools in the state from level 14 to level 15. The governor disclosed this at a meeting with heads of primary schools under the umbrella of Association of Primary Schools Head Teachers of Nigeria (AOPSHON) at the House of Chiefs, Secretariat, Ibadan.
The governor also promised that the state would commence payment of backlogs of outstanding allowances and pensions for retired primary school teachers in the state with effect from this month.
Ajimobi said a committee comprising representatives of the retired teachers and representatives of the state government would work out modalities for the payment, adding that the recommendations of the committee would be submitted by the end of this week.
He explained that pending the outcome of the case instituted against those who allegedly stole the state pension fund, the government had made arrangements for the payment of pensions to teachers.
It would be recalled that some civil servants in the Local Government Pensions Board are currently facing trial for allegedly embezzling retired primary school teachers’ pensions to the tune of N5.6 billion.
Ajimobi directed the Oyo State Universal Basic Education to make arrangements to ensure that backlogs of running grants to some schools were paid as soon as possible, adding that rural allowance would also be introduced for teachers residing in urban areas but teaching in the rural areas to encourage such teachers in their job.
He reiterated the commitment of his administration to the welfare of teachers in the state, describing primary school teachers as foundation for quality education.
He noted that the government had rehabilitated quite a number of dilapidated schools, just as it had continued to build new ones, in line with the education policy and transformation agenda of his administration.
In his remarks, the state Chairman of AOPSHON, Alhaji Bolaji Adeleke, said teachers in the state had never had it so good, confirming that salaries and allowances of teachers were now being paid as and when due.
He also said that teachers had continued to enjoy capacity building, as a lot of them had attended various seminars and lectures which he said had enhanced the performance of teachers in the state.
Also speaking, Chairman of the state Universal Primary Education Board, Dr. Busari Adebisi, commended the Ajimobi-led administration for the development of education in the state, adding that the board had facilitated the rehabilitation of classrooms, provision of computers for schools and quarterly training for teachers.

Ajimobi raises primary school teachers’ promotion bar