BY Adeola Aderounmu

I have followed the Swedish teachers Union/Group asking for more money for the teachers. My conclusion is that people are just generally silly. We complain about teachers, we complain about students and we complain about education.

Yet we put more money into wars than we do into education. Sweden for example will readily assist the Saudi government to build a firearm plant than fight for teachers to receive the same salary as politicians.

Research has revealed that Sweden will suffer a massive shortage of teachers in less than 10 years from now. People are not ready to teach and the incentives are not there.

In a way, this is actually a global problem. Teachers are like Reverends in the olden days but now no one cares about teachers. People look down on them. I am a teacher and I know how this feels.

But we complain about education. Nonsense!

Why can’t teachers who build the nation get more money as salaries than politicians who ruin the nation?

To save the world, government must know that teachers have to be rewarded, and here on earth. The debates have been on for years, and each time teachers are given token or nothing at all. But the chickens are coming home to roost right under our noses.

Teachers all over the world must be rewarded and their statuses elevated. That is one of the ways to make the students respect their teachers and to make them listen and learn more.

Teachers should not be looked down to as poor church rats. This silly impression can be changed with good salaries and massive investment in education. Teachers should become one of the best paid jobs and should not remain one of the least paid.

Unless this happens, less and less applicants will turn up for teacher education and the future of our children will be at stake.