Don’t Resume Classes If Schools Reopen, NUT Tells Teachers

The Chairman of the FCT wing of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Comrade Stephen Knabayi, has directed primary school teachers in the territory not to resume classes anytime schools are reopened for academic activities.

Comrade Knabayi made the call while speaking with newsmen shortly after an emergency of the State Wing Executive Council Meeting (SWEC) of the union at the Teachers House in Gwagwalada, on Saturday.

He said the union’s decision to direct the primary school to stay away from classes followed failure of the area council chairmen to pay minimum wage of the teachers.

He said the FCT Minister, Muhammad Musa Bello, has paid the new minimum wage so the council area council chairmen should emulate him.

He noted that the union after emerging from last week’s meeting with the FCT Minister of State, Hajiya Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu and the six area council chairmen as well as other stakeholders, a resolution on the payment of the primary school teachers minimum wage was not arrived at, hence the decision of the teachers to embark on strike when schools reopen.

“We have seen that the area council chairmen are not serious and not committed to the welfare of the teachers. Since FCT administration did not waste time in paying the minimum wage, we expected the area council chairmen to have taken a cue from there and done same,” he added.

He further said despite the union’s call on the six area council chairmen to pay the new minimum wage of the primary school teachers, which he said has been lingering for over 17 months, they have failed to do so.

He said secondary school teachers would in solidarity,  join the primary school teachers on strike.

FG to involve NUT in guidelines for reopening of schools

The Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, said the Federal Government was engaging teachers in   the guidelines for  resumption of schools.

The General Secretary, Nigeria Union of Teachers, Mike Ene, had, in reaction to the guidelines by the PTF, told THE PUNCH that teachers would not resume because the government was not serious with what it was  doing.

But Nwajiuba said, “We are engaging them (the NUT). We as a people review the information that is available to government and juxtapose that with the needs of children who are in the exit classes so that they may obtain the minimum certificates that they need in order to progress in future.”