Date: 2016-10-06

Teachers in Kwara State on Wednesday demanded for the payment of their five months salaries.

The teachers who marked the day with the governor, Alh. Abdulfatah Ahmed in attendance as the Special Guest of honour said as primary school teachers, they were enjoying uninterrupted salary until May this year when the story changed.

Led by the State Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT; Comrade Musa Abubakar, the teachers said they had since then suffered untold hardships, agony arising from nonpayment of their salaries that was now in arrears of five months. Abubakar said this no doubt has affected the quality of education in public schools.

Speaking on the national education policy, the NUT Chairman demanded that primary school and secondary school teachers too, should retire at the age of 70 like their counterpart in the university because the vacuum created by the untimely retirement of teachers is affecting education in the country.

He implored federal, state and local governments to approach teachers' plight in Nigeria with pragmatic approach pleading with all individuals, institutions, industries and governments to rise up and uplift the status of teachers.

Abubakar urged the state government to commence consideration of retired teachers for the payment of their pensions and gratuities while season and retired teachers be appointed on the boards of educations.

He called for a replication of Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State policy which makes all public servants to withdraw their wards from private to public schools.

Also the NUT chief wanted Kwara State government to take away the burden of the salaries of Junior Secondary School teachers from the local government who he said could no longer cope with the payment.

Responding, Governor Ahmed promised to look into the issues raised but pleaded that shortfalls in federal allocations to the state were responsible for the plights of the teachers coupled with the harsh effects of the current economic recessions.