The chairman of the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) in the FCT, Alhaji Abubakar Usman, has urged the Minister of State for FCT, Hajiya Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu, to dialogue with primary school teachers with a view to ending the ongoing strike embarked by the teachers over non-payment of the new minimum wage.
Primary school teachers across the territory had last week Monday embarked on indefinite strike action over non-payment of their new minimum wage after the FCT minister, Muhammad Musa Bello, ordered all schools to open for academic activities.
The schools had been shut for seven months as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Usman, while speaking with our reporter in Gwagwalada yesterday, said it was disheartening that after the pupils had stayed at home for seven months as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the primary school teachers suddenly embarked on strike, causing the pupils to continue to stay at home.
He said there was the need for the FCT minister, all six area council chairmen and the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) to sit down on a round table for dialogue in order to see how the new minimum wage of the teachers would be paid to them so that they can go back to class.
City News visited some primary schools within the FCT and observed that schools have remained closed without any teacher on ground, while some with gates were under lock and key.
Reacting, the FCT state wing chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) Comrade Stephen Knabayi, said no teacher would resume classes until the new minimum wage of the primary school teachers is paid.
“Although, I just learnt that the six area council chairmen and the minister and some stakeholders are currently in a meeting in respect of the minimum wage which we are not part of, until we are called upon, schools remain shut,” he said.
