Lightening teachers’ burden

The state’s Commissioner of Education, Alhaji Ibrahim Aminu Mohammed, responding to the development, explained that 5,000 teachers were recruited, out of which 3,000 were deployed to the State Universal Basic Education (SUBEB) while 2,000 were deployed to the Ministry of Education. He said the delay in payment was caused by documentation, which he said was […]

The state’s Commissioner of Education, Alhaji Ibrahim Aminu Mohammed, responding to the development, explained that 5,000 teachers were recruited, out of which 3,000 were deployed to the State Universal Basic Education (SUBEB) while 2,000 were deployed to the Ministry of Education. He said the delay in payment was caused by documentation, which he said was ongoing.  That explained why only a few of the teachers had been paid, because they had completed the process, he said.  
Last year, public schools in Benue State were shut for about nine months due to non-implementation of the minimum wage for teachers in the state. The national secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in Abuja, had asked the state chapter to down tools after series of meetings it held with the state government failed to yield desired result. During that period, the NUT chairman in Makurdi, Mr Benjamin Kwaghtamen, said 49 teachers died while his counterpart of Gboko LGA, Mr Charles Abuul, said 12 of his colleagues died, attributing the deaths to non-payment of salaries.
Deaths among teachers in Benue State during the strike period were also reported in Otukpo (11); Kwande (21) teachers and Vandeikya (8).
It may be far-fetched to blame all the deaths to the lingering strike, but the negative effects of non-payment of salaries to teachers should not be overlooked. The parlous state of education, especially in public schools has been a worrying issue over the years. This is evident in the poor performance of students in examinations conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and National Examinations Council (NECO). The neglect of teachers’ welfare in public schools, and the strikes it often engenders, has many consequences, including parents transferring their wards to private institutions, which are few and expensive.  
It is the responsibility of the government to make public schools good and affordable by providing the necessary equipment and personnel. There have been talks and seminars and summits on how to boost the education sector. But how can all the outcomes be successfully implemented in a sustainable way if the personnel that should drive them are not properly remunerated? Such practices do not encourage the best brains to aspire to take up teaching as a profession.   If a state can afford the minimum wage for workers in other sectors, why should teachers be sidelined, given the key role they play in society? Teachers should not have to suffer undue hardships for their salaries and retirement benefits because they have bills to pay and other family obligations to meet, like other workers.
 NUT officials believe that teachers should earn 27.5 per cent allowance higher in whatever salary is pay as minimum wage in every state as a way to motivate them. That may be a good idea, because the brain drain within the school system has reached dangerous levels and young graduates shun public primary and secondary schools as teaching stations.  
 The education calendar has been tampered with several times as a result of strikes, often caused by failure to pay teachers their entitlements or redeem pledges made to them by government. The plight of teachers should be looked into to stop the rot from further deteriorating. Teachers should be rewarded by their being paid what which is due to them.