By Samuel Oyadongha

Yenagoa—President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, flagged off the training of over 140,000 teachers nationwide in line with the Federal Government’s 2010 Millennium Development Goal, declaring that the country’s crusade against poverty reduction will continue to be a mirage if it fails to invest in the education sector.

In an address delivered at the flag-off of the capacity building workshop for primary school teachers in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, President Jonathan assured that the Federal Government would continue to give education, the deserved attention.

“The countries which have made the greatest progress in poverty reduction,” he said, “are those that have adequately invested in education.”

Represented by the Minister of Education, Prof Ruqayyatu Rufai, the President lamented the dwindling fortunes of the sector, which he blamed on inefficiency of the teachers as well as the rot in the society.

President Jonathan noted that it was high time the nation got its bearing right, so as to meet the millennium goals. He restated Federal Government’s commitment to the sector as well as the implementation of the Teachers Salary Scale, TSS.

According to him, “education will continue to be given the necessary attention in all our education planning, because we consider it as the heart of development. Countries which have made the greatest progress in poverty reduction are those that have adequately invested in education.”

The President added that his administration was ready to collaborate with the teachers in achieving the set goals, adding, the government recognised that teachers are a critical factor in any effort aimed at improving the quality of education and hence would be carried along.