Dr. Vincent Paul of the Department of Entrepreneurship Studies at Nasarawa State University, Keffi (NSUK), marked International World Teachers’ Day with a message celebrating the noble profession and urging global leaders to increase support and investment in teachers.
Dr. Paul extended heartfelt congratulations to all teachers, recognizing them as more than just educators. He described them as mentors, role models, and torchbearers who illuminate the path of learning and shape the future’s leaders and innovators.
He emphasized that education is fundamentally about “inspiring values, creativity, innovation, and lifelong curiosity,” not just imparting facts. While acknowledging the sacrifices and resilience of teachers, he drew attention to their inadequate working conditions, including the common lack of private office spaces in primary and secondary schools, noting that their resilience sustains the flame of education that forms the foundation of every career.
Dr. Paul issued a clear call to world leaders, governments, and stakeholders to support, empower, and invest in teachers.
He stressed that particular attention must be given to providing befitting facilities for both teachers and students to make the learning environment “simpler, friendlier, more attractive, and more impactful.”
While commending current governmental efforts, Dr. Paul urged leaders to commit additional resources and renew their dedication to raising educational standards to meet global benchmarks, declaring, “to whom much is given, much is expected.”
Dr. Paul concluded by offering special tributes to the mentors who guided his own life and academic journey; He remembered his beloved primary school teacher, Mrs. Augustina Abraham, and paid tribute to the memory of late teachers like Mrs. Rebecca and Mr. Jatau Ali. He specifically thanked his secondary school teacher, Mr. J. T. Yakubu, for laying a strong foundation in entrepreneurship.
Dr. Paul who is also the Deputy Director of the UNDP Unipod expressed profound gratitude to his university lecturers, including Prof. B. E. Barde, Prof. Uche Joseph Uwaleke, and the late Prof. Sam Baba Adamu Tende, his “super mentor.”
Finally, he thanked the Vice-Chancellor of NSUK, Professor Sa’adatu Hassan Liman, for providing a “soft platform for academic and professional excellence.”
He concluded with a universal “thank you” to every teacher, asserting, “Your impact transcends the classroom, and your legacy lives on in every life you have touched.”
Happy Teachers Day.
