THE Kwara State governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq yesterday joined the global community to celebrate teachers on the occasion of the World Teachers Day, calling them the centrepiece of his administration’s transformative agenda in the education sector, and reassuring them of government’s continuous commitment to their welfare.

In joining the global community to celebrate teachers, Abdulrasaq gave no fewer than 61 teachers drawn from every part of the state and across different stages of education awards of excellence.

The awards came with varying gifts, which the governor called “a token of appreciation for those moulding the future of the next generation with their sweat, expertise and patience.”

He lauded the teachers for their efforts, sacrifices, and commitments.

The governor had an interactive session with teachers, who commended his strides in the education sector, and urged him to bridge the pay gaps between teachers of junior and secondary schools in the state.

The Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS) appealed, on the occasion, to the governor to give autonomy to the state chapter of the union as it had been done in about 27 states.

The union, which alleged that the leadership of the state chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers was, through some government officials, feeding the government with distorted information that ASUSS was not registered, said the secondary school teachers in the state had written to the appropriate authorities of its withdrawal from NUT since November 2020.

The state chairman of ASUSS, Aduagba Kayode, urged the state government to stop the NUT from deducting check-off dues from their salaries.

Also, a member of the union, Inufele Tajudeen, from Offa Local Government, noted that the union was not anti-government as was being peddled around by some people and urged the state government to attend to their request quickly.