Parents laud FCT NUT for suspending strike

The Chairman of the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) in the FCT, Alhaji Usman Abubakar, has commended the FCT wing of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) for suspending the one-month strike action embarked upon by primary school teachers in the territory.

Abubakar, while reacting to the suspension of the strike in an interview with our reporter in Gwagwalada on Monday, said it has brought a big relief to parents across the FCT, saying the long stay of pupils at home during the COVID-19 lockdown has almost placed the pupils in a disadvantaged position.

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He said the strike had further subjected pupils to mental stress, while exposing others to sexual abuse and hawking.

He, therefore, appealed to the six area council chairmen to stand by the agreement reached with the teachers to commence the implementation of the minimum wage as from January 2021 in the interest of the future of the children.

He also urged the FCT Administration and stakeholders in the education sector to advise the area council chairmen on the need to stand by their agreement in order to avoid any further strike.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the FCT NUT, Comrade Stephen Knabayi, had on Sunday announced that the union’s decision to suspend the strike was due to interventions of the FCT Administration and other stakeholders in the education sector.

According to him, the suspension of the strike action was premised on the agreement reached with the six area council chairmen, who promised to commence the implementation of the minimum wage as from January 2021.

He said the union had directed all primary school teachers to return to classrooms with effect from Monday, 9th November, 2020.

“And the intended strike action by FCT secondary school teachers slated for Monday, 9th November, 2020 is hereby equally suspended,” he said.

Knabayi said either by omission or commission, if the area council chairmen fail to abide by the agreement reached to effect the implementation of the minimum wage by January 2021, the union would have no option than to resume its suspended strike.

Academic activities in primary schools have resumed on a low key following the suspension of the four-week strike action by teachers across the FCT.

Our reporter, who went round some of the primary schools across the area councils to monitor compliance of teachers, observed that only few teachers were seen in the schools visited.