Niger Gov’t, NLC trade words over teachers’ welfare

There was a mild drama during the celebration of the 2024 World Teacher’s Day at Justice Idris Legbo Kutigi International Conference Centre on Saturday when the Executive Director of the Niger State Teacher Professional Development Institute, Dr. Mustapha Ibrahim Lemu, downplayed the clamour for teachers’ welfare.

Lemu, who was the keynote speaker on theme ‘Valuing Teachers Voice; Towards A New Social Contract for Education,’ said the welfare of teachers was not as important as the Nigeria Union of Teachers had painted it.

The statement sparked reactions from teachers.

The Niger State Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, Akayago Adamu Mohammed, had lamented in his welcome address that primary school teachers in the state had been denied their rights by the government.

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The NUT chairman listed the challenges faced by the primary school teachers to include a lack of implementation of domestic servant allowance being enjoyed by secondary school teachers since 2018, stagnation of promotion of those on grade level 16, lack of implementation of annual increment and promotion since 2015 among others.

He said the state was also yet to join other states to implement extension of retirement age for teachers to 40 years.

Mohammed called on the state government to quickly address these challenges and review teachers’ salaries in view of the current high cost of living.

Consequently, Dr. Lemu accused the NUT of taking clamour for the welfare of teachers too seriously and instead encouraged them to teach well and wait for their rewards.

When given the floor for goodwill message, the state Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Idris Lafene, said the welfare of teachers was first to address to achieve quality education.

Lafene asked the state government to refund the monies deducted from teachers’ salaries for over five years with a promise to give them Z-pad, saying that labour would not allow the money go unaccounted for.

“Teachers in Niger State don’t get good treatment. Apart from non-implementation of promotions and allowances, we have not forgotten the monies deducted from salaries of our teachers for Z-pad. We cannot allow the money to go like that. It’s either the government gives them the Z-pad or refunds their money. And on the welfare, you cannot dismiss the importance of welfare of teachers. It’s basic,” Lafene said.

The state Commissioner for Basic Education, Dr. Hadiza Asabe Mohammed, assured the teachers that the government would look into their issues with a view to addressing them.

She said the state government had designed a Career Path Policy Guide for Teacher Professional Development to empower educators on their career journeys and foster a continuous pursuit of excellence.

Dr. Mohammed said one of the key benefits of the guide was the promotion of a culture of accountability within the education system, saying that quality assurance was fundamental to education, helping to ensure that students receive the best possible learning experiences.