We’re Tired of Running Schools With Our Merger Salaries, Edo Teachers Cry out

Adibe Emenyonu Teachers in Edo State under the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) have threatened to down tools, saying they were tired of running government schools with their merger salaries.

The teachers who threatened to embark on state wide indefinite strike action after the expiration of 21 days ultimatum to resolve all contentious issues, said the ultimatum became necessary following the expiration of 45 days grace period, adding that it allowed the state government to engage in mutual resolution of the challenges put before it in a communique issued in its last July executive meeting.

This threat was contained in a 9-point communique signed by the State Chairman and Acting Secretary, Comrade Pius Okhueleigbe and Moni Mike Modesty- Itua, respectively at the end of the union state executive council meeting, held in Benin-City.

In the communique, the teachers claimed “That Edo State public primary and secondary school heads and their teachers are tired of using their meager salaries to provide instructional materials such as chalk, markers, diaries, registers and many others for teaching and learning in schools, due to the failure of government to provide subventions to schools since 2012 and the recent near zero supply of such items to schools.

“Therefore, government must in the next 21 days put up a very concrete and result oriented policy/plan to commence the release of subventions to all public primary and secondary schools in the state.”

The statement said the ultimatum takes effect from August 17, 2018.

According to it, “At the end of the meeting, SWEC agreed that the union has unimaginably cooperated with the state government in all positive fronts with a view to moving the education sector to the desired Eldorado, but the government has refused to act in utmost good faith in reciprocating the good gestures of teachers in the state.”

In the communique, the teachers demanded for the financial implementation of the 2013 to 2015 primary school teachers promotions as approved by the state government with the arrears of last January to July inclusive, as well as teachers deliberately omitted or denied the promotions by SUBEB.

It also want the immediate implementation of the approved N25,000 minimum wage to all primary school teachers with all the arrears.

The teachers said the N25,000 minimum wage was approved by the state government for all workers in the state in May 2016 and also demanded the immediate provision of subvention funds to both primary and secondary schools across the state.