Teachers strike; FG’s attempt thwarted

The two weeks old primary and secondary school teachers’ strike was yesterday dealt a fatal blow by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting. The teachers had gone on strike in pursuit of a harmonised Teachers Salary Structure (TSS) for all the teachers across the federation.

After the FEC meeting, the government speaking through the Minister of State for Education Dr. Agada, appealed to teachers to go back to school in the interest of their students as federal government will not concede to the demand of the teachers. Teachers were also urged to go to their states and negotiate with their respective employers i.e. State government.

Legally correct (employee/employer contract) as this FEC position may be, it does not speak well about the drive of this government towards uniformed development. The rich states will attract and pay well the best of teachers while the poor rural states will have leftovers, which will subsequently affect the quality of SSCE/JAMB candidates. Nigeria will soon head back to the era of educationally disadvantaged states being given lower cut off marks and other questionable academic privileges.

This masterstroke the Federal Government has divided the solidarity among the Nigerian Union of Teachers, as teachers from affluent States are jostling for the speedy call off. In a bid to strengthen the sagging strength of NUT, the NLC is threatening to lend strategic support to the teachers strike. The incumbent NLC president is still the NUT president. A position he has not relinquished despite having stayed over one year in office as the NLC boss.

Despite this attempt, the Secretary to the federal government Baba Gana Kingibe is still meeting with the leadership of NUT to find a lasting solution meanwhile NUT in Lagos, staged a street procession yesterday to protest government’s stand on TSS

Rate this:

2.5

Nigerian Teachers Resume Nationwide Strike

Students across the federal were turned away from school today, due to the nationwide strike embarked upon by the National Union of Teachers (NUT), an umbrella body of all the teachers in Nigeria. The NUT had suspended her three days warning strike after the Senate and other well meaning Nigerians intervened to bring the government to a round table. The teachers want a better working environment, implementation of payment of minimum wage and an upward review of their salary. According to the NUT, the Minster of Education Dr. Igwe Aja Nwachukwu was callous, rude and unfeeling towards the plight of teachers and when confronted with threat of an industrial action said “I wish you all the best”. Furthermore, the NUT accused the minister of misleading the president on the implementation of the Teachers Salary Structure. The teachers want a harmonised salary structure across the 36 states of the federation. 

This renewed hostility by the teachers is expected to be long drawn, as the NUT vowed to picket any private school that refuses to participate in the strike. Most children of rich men and politicians attend private schools, where a terms school fees is equivalent to the annual salary of a teacher in a run down public school.  

NUT holds the minister responsible for the failure of the talks.

Rate this:

2.5