Lockdown: We’re suffering, private school teachers lament

Private sector employees in Nigeria are reportedly struggling to make ends meet in the face of the COVID-19 lockdown. This is because their employers have either cut down their salaries and other benefits or refused to pay them. Private school teachers across the country are not left out of this situation as they are said […]

Private sector employees in Nigeria are reportedly struggling to make ends meet in the face of the COVID-19 lockdown. This is because their employers have either cut down their salaries and other benefits or refused to pay them.

Private school teachers across the country are not left out of this situation as they are said to be bearing the brunt of nonpayment of salaries, at least temporarily.

Most of the teachers who spoke to Daily Trust Saturday said that to make ends meet, they resorted to small businesses, such as recharge cards.

In Ogun State, a number of schools have not paid salaries as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. However, some school owners fully paid March salaries but subsequently placed their workers on half salaries.

A secondary school teacher in Abeokuta said his proprietor stopped payment of salaries shortly after the school closed in March.

“In my school, the management has stopped our salaries. They said they relied on fees to run the school,’’ the teacher, who craved anonymity, said.

Asked how he is surviving, he responded, “I survive on home lessons. I teach some of my students at home and their parents pay me.”

Mrs Serifat Olagesin, a teacher and mother of three earns N16,000 per month. She said her husband, an artisan, has also been caught up by the lockdown, adding that her school had placed her on half salary.

“When schools were closed we were not paid our salaries because nobody thought the lockdown would last this long. Two weeks into the lockdown, I called the school proprietor, and after much persuasion, half of my salary was paid. But that didn’t last long.

“We have been surviving on the little my mother gives me, as well as palliatives from other people,’’ she said.

Also, Leke Olufemi, an entrepreneur and part time teacher said, “As a part time teacher, I wasn’t really expecting to be paid. In my school, salaries of fulltime teachers are always paid before those on part time.’’

Explaining the effect of the lockdown on school owners, president of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Ogun State chapter and owner of Paragon International School, Dr Lawrence Holumidey, said he had over 100 members of staff on his payroll, which amounted to N4million every month. He added that he had managed to keep to his responsibilities.

Holumidey encouraged school proprietors not to “shortchange teachers” because of the challenging situation.

“We must show love because when it was rosy we paid their salaries. Now that is harsh we should still endure to pay them because we take the profits. I am being fair as a person.

“However, individual school owners will determine what to do. No association will tell anybody to sack teachers. We have recommended that all our teachers be treated with respect,’’ he said.

In Sokoto State, many private schools are yet to pay last month’s salaries. However, while some paid half salaries, few paid in full.

Speaking to Daily Trust Saturday, teachers who did not receive salaries said the situation had been excruciating.

One of them, a 60-year-old woman whose salary is N35, 000 said, “It has been very agonising. I am diabetic, so buying my drugs and meeting other needs have been difficult.

“My children are also struggling to make ends meet and are not financially strong to cater for all my needs.”

Another teacher who has not received salaries said, “These are tough times for my family of five. There is no salary and things are more expensive. I had to sell my motorcycle to meet pressing needs.”

Also, a 37-year-old teacher said his salary was cut by 50 per cent.

“My pay is N50,000 but I received N20, 000 last month. We have to cut down on some things in this period of Ramadan. We have to manage with the little I can afford,” he said.

However, a teacher in one of the private schools said, “Our school does not owe us. They have paid salaries.”

It was learnt that teachers in most private schools in Kebbi State received March and April salaries. But some schools had up to 50 per cent pay cut while few proprietors could not pay April salaries.

Umar Dan’iyye, a primary school teacher in Birnin Kebbi, said despite the financial challenges, his school paid complete salaries without delay.

Furthermore, Haruna Bello, a principal in Alhudda Secondary School, Birnin Kebbi, said that owing to the pandemic, salaries in his school were slashed by 50 per cent, adding that he goes home with N20,000.

Asked how he copes with the salary cut, Bello said he had to adjust to the reality.

Sani Usman, who teaches in a newly established primary school in Birnin Kebbi, said his employer did not pay April salaries due to financial constraint.

Usman said he decided to operate a small business to survive.

In Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), a teacher in a private school at Wuse II, who identified herself as Happiness, said she only received March salary, and that nothing had been said about April.

She said, “It has not been easy managing my N70,000 as an assistant head teacher. To be honest, it has become more difficult with the situation in the country now. And not being sure of getting another salary makes it more scary.”

She said she relied on friends and family to survive.

Another teacher said his school paid full salaries in March and April, but it was not clear if subsequent salaries would be paid.

Also, a female teacher said she got N20,000 after salary cut by her employer.

“It has not been easy with my salary of N60,000. I organised extra lessons to students at home, but parents have stopped the arrangement because of the fear of coronavirus,” she said.

The chairman of a faith-based private school in Abuja, who does not want to be named, said his school paid 50 per cent of teachers’ salaries, but from June they will be paid per hour.

He said, “The reason is because the teachers are handling classes online and we are not charging for such classes. My hope is that parents would volunteer to pay for the service so we can increase the per hour pay.”

He said the school paid N500 per hour, and urged government to allow third term to commence online.

“I sincerely do not understand government’s rationale for saying no to third term. You don’t punish private school students because you don’t have plans for public schools,” he said.

In Kano, a principal who spoke under condition of anonymity said his proprietors paid full salaries in March when the school was closed, but in April, the package was cut in half.

“As a principal, I am reasonably aware of what is the income and expenditure of the school, and I can tell you that before the closure of schools in March, about 40 per cent of parents did not pay their children’s school fees, therefore the school could not pay full salaries in April.

“Actually private teachers are not finding it easy these days. Some of those proprietors who depended solely on school operations are also not finding it easy. That is why many private schools could not pay salaries.

“Everybody has to adjust in this difficult time,’’ he said.

Another teacher who also did not want her name mentioned said she received half pay at the end of April without explanation from her school.

In Delta State, the proprietor and head teacher of Kivic Royal School, Mrs Stella Ossai, said COVID-19 was taking huge toll on school system.

“We were in the middle of second exam when the COVID-19 lockdown order came and so many pupils have not paid their fees. Some schools have not even started exams. In fact, COVID-19 took so many of us unawares.

“Many of us could not enroll our pupils and students in various external certificate exams, let alone paying our teachers. We are owing our staff two months salaries,” she said.

In Jos, the Plateau State capital, most private school teachers said they had not received salaries since March.

A teacher in Nissi Academy, Bukuru, Elizabeth Achor said, “It will be practically impossible for any private school that depend solely on fees to continue paying salaries.”

Another teacher in Hope Academy, Kwang, said her school managed to pay April salaries after a 30 per cent cut. She said the school promised to refund the 30 per cent deducted from their salaries in May.

A teacher in Lagos, Mr. Michael Opara, said he earned N32,350 monthly. He received complete salary in March but half pay in April. Opara said things had been very difficult.

“We are just managing because the half salary I got in April had since been exhausted. We are looking up to God for help,” he said.

Also, Salisu Ibrahim, a primary school teacher at Tudun Nufawa, Kaduna, said life had not been easy since lockdown began in March.

“None of the private schools I know paid their teachers. They don’t even know how the teachers are faring. Some proprietors had collected fees before the lockdown, but they refused to pay salaries,’’ he said.

He urged government to ease the lockdown, adding that teachers in private schools and are suffering.