Kogi teachers decry unpaid salaries, poor working conditions

Teachers in Kogi State under the auspices Academic Staff Union of Secondary School (ASUSS), have raised concerns over their hardships and plights due to non payment of salaries by the state government.

Kogi State Chairman of ASUSS, Comrade Comrade Ronti Mathew Ojo in a statement issued on Friday in Lokoja on the occasion of this year’s World Teachers’ Day maintained that the current situation on ground has forced teachers in Kogi state from celebrating the day.

According to him, teachers in the state were still being owed over six months salaries thus making life difficult for them and at the same dampening their morale.

“Any teacher in Kogi State as secondary schools is concerned, is being owed not less than six months salaries. The government of Kogi state has paid up to May.

“But in the month of August through to December 2017, the State Government paid us 60%. Which means they are owing us a balance of 40%. For that five months, it gives us 200% which is two months outstanding salaries.

“That is why I said those teachers along with other state workers in the state are being owed not less than six months and above.

“With this, there are still some of us, that have arrears that have not been paid as a result of those of us that were not placed on salaries due to the screening exercise conducted by the Kogi state government.

“Some are owed three months, twelve months and even twenty months and more. This is totally different from those who are under the uncleared list”, he said.

He also lamented the premature and forceful retirement of some teachers from service thus aggravating the problem of inadequate teachers in schools.

According to him, it was worrisome that those prematurely retired were yet to be placed on pensions many months after.

He therefore appealed to the state government to as a matter of urgency address the issue of unpaid salaries to teachers and should improve on their working conditions.

Ronti urged the government to put machinery in place to ensure payment of pensions and gratuities to deserving retirees.

Daily Trust reports that the World Teachers’ Day, also known as International Teachers Day, is held every year on October 5 to honor teachers and recognize their contributions to education and development.

The theme for this year’s World Teachers Day is: “The Right to Education means the Right to Qualified Teachers”.