Concerns as FCT primary school teachers’ strike lingers over minimum wage

Secondary school teachers to join on Monday There is a growing concern among parents and educationalists on the ongoing strike over non-implementation of minimum wage and unpaid salary arrears by FCT primary school teachers and more worrisome is the plan of the secondary school teachers to join the strike on Monday   Primary school teachers […]

• Secondary school teachers to join on Monday

There is a growing concern among parents and educationalists on the ongoing strike over non-implementation of minimum wage and unpaid salary arrears by FCT primary school teachers and more worrisome is the plan of the secondary school teachers to join the strike on Monday

 

Primary school teachers in the Federal Capital Territory commenced strike on the day pupils were to resume school after long closure of schools for about seven months due to COVID-19 pandemic.

The teachers, in protest of non implementation of the new minimum wage and unpaid salary arrears by area councils, refused to allow the pupils to enter the classrooms.

The FCT council of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) in a letter dated October 7, 2020, had notified the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello, of its decision to embark on strike.

The failure of the FCT administration to react and meet up with the demands of the teachers forced them to embark on the industrial action, saying it is indefinite until there is serious commitment from the councils to implement the national minimum wage.

However, parents and teachers have raised concerns over the effect of the strike on the pupils, especially in addition to the long stay at home due to coronavirus. With schools now in session, other kids in private schools and in other states have resumed studies while the FCT kids are left at home for no fault of theirs.

A parent, Victoria Julius, who has two of her kids in LEA Primary School Jikwoyi, said it is unfortunate that children have to go through this, saying their education has suffered a set back already following the coronavirus pandemic and now just when they are supposed to go back to school, the teachers started strike.

She feared that many children may not remember what they have been taught because they have never stayed away from school this long, adding that many are always on the streets playing and going about aimlessly while others are forced to go and trade along with their parents.

“My son Iyanu is supposed to be going to primary five now but months back, we enrolled him in lessons but when we realized they only go there to play, we stopped him. Now, he follows his father to his workshop,” she said.

She however pleaded with the FCT authority to consider the poor masses and settle whatever problem it has with the teachers so that the children can go back to school, saying some of them have already forgotten what it feels like to be in school having stayed at home for almost eight months.

Another parent, Deborah Alabi, said it is unfortunate that kids’ education is suffering the most this year.

“I am only begging them to solve the problem because teachers are also suffering so that our children can go back to school. It is now looking like we have failed our children for enrolling them in public school,” she said.

She said: “My prayer is that as soon as things improve, I will save up money and enrol in any affordable private school.”

A teacher with GSS Karu, who does not want to be mentioned, said teachers are the poorest in the society because the government has failed to give them the respect and honour they deserve.

“Though I teach in a secondary school, we are likely to join the strike next week if nothing is done because we are all teachers; they should pay teachers what is due to them even though our salary is nothing to write home about.

“The strike is long overdue since that is the only language that the government understands. We have to join to ensure that they do the right thing.”

For Michael Ojonugwa, an educationist, the long absence from school will further affect the standard of education which is already low.

“People have a bad impression about public schools and now, I can assure you that most of the pupils have forgotten what they have learnt so far because they do not have access to formal learning,” he said.

Ojonugwa said it is rather unfortunate that teachers are also suffering and governments have failed to give them their deserved honour in society. “How can you allow the teachers of primary school to embark on strike knowing that children’s education is already distorted this year?”

He said the government needs to sit up and not allow the basic education suffer what the tertiary education is suffering in the country as a result of incessant strikes as that will portend total collapse on the system and our certificate will no longer be valued in the international scene.

The Spokesperson of the FCT chapter of NUT, Samson Haruna, explained that the minimum wage is the main reason for the strike for now, though there are other reasons too.

“We want to tackle the minimum wage first which other workers and senior secondary schools were paid their nine months arrears in December but the area council which has the sole responsibility of implementing that of the LEA teachers has not,” he said

“Our position is that they must implement it for us and pay the arrears which we know they have the capacity to do, only that they don’t have the political will and commitment to do it for us.”

The ministerial committee that was set up over two months ago, according to him, submitted its report and after submitting, “The government in their insensitive nature has not looked at that report.”

He disclosed that the secondary school teachers will be joining them on Monday for a three-day warning strike in solidarity because they are all teachers and feel the plights of each other.

However, on Thursday, Daily Trust Saturday gathered that meetings have been going on with the Ministerial Committee and also, the FCT administration met with the ministerial committee over the ongoing strike.

It was gathered that the meeting ended in a deadlock as the authority pleaded with the teachers to call off because of resumption of NECO examinations but the teachers refused, insisting that their demands are met.

When our reporter contacted the NUT, they were said to have been invited to another meeting on Friday.