Cross River teachers lament salary deductions

Teachers in public schools in Cross Rivers State have decried incessant deductions of N2,000 from their salaries without genuine explanations.

They also called on the state government to give them special transportation allowances of at least N20,000 each per month to cushion effects of high costs of daily transportation to their different schools.

About 90% of schools in the state do not have school buses.

Meanwhile checks at some schools in parts of Calabar metropolis showed that a few primary and secondary school students were able to get to their schools due to a sudden hike in transportation fares occasioned by an increase in the cost of fuel.

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Speaking on Sparkling FM radio call-in programme ‘Let’s Talk Nigeria’ monitored by our correspondent, the teachers urged the government to intervene.

Two of the callers from Akamkpa LGA of the state who gave their names as Maria Brown and Ntui Bassey said every month, N2,000 is deducted from their salaries.

“They do not give us good explanations why they deduct the money,” Bassey said.

The radio conversation followed a letter written by a teacher to the governor, Prince Bassey Otu, demanding that his administration attend to the plight of teachers. Other callers supported the demand.

A caller, Sampson Aklan from Calabar Municipality, said in addition to the special transport allowances to teachers, the government should deploy dedicated buses to students to cushion the high costs of transportation.

Commissioner for Education, Senator Steve Odey, denied knowledge of the alleged deduction.