Kogi Grapples With Unpaid Teachers’ Salary

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For teachers in Kogi State, this is not their best moment as they are grappling with backlog of unpaid teachers’ salaries owed by various local governments.

The development led to the sack of the Alhaji Usman Jibrin-led State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) by Governor Idris Wada.

“They (SUBEB Board) were sacked because their cup was full. The unfortunate thing is that having given them enough time to sort things out they failed to do so. Quality education, especially at the basic level, is not possible without quality teachers, and you cannot get quality teachers without payment of teachers’ salary. What went on at SUBEB was not acceptable and hopefully those that will be put in place will reposition basic education in the state and move it forward,” he said.

Perhaps when the new SUBEB board is inaugurated, there would be a solution to the problem which has made hundreds of primary school teachers to stay away from the classroom.

Though Wada has assured the teachers the problem would soon be resolved, and the striking teachers agreed in principle to return to the classroom, The Nation found that they have kept away because money has not been lodged in their accounts.

The state chapter of Basic Education Staff Association of Nigeria (BESAN) has appealed to the governor to appoint a seasoned educationist to replace the sacked SUBEB chairman.

Making the call in Lokoja, the chairman of BESAN, Adomu Sule, said sacking Jibrin and other members of the board was a step in the right direction. He lamented that teachers were yet to receive their March and April salaries even though the money had been deducted from the local government allocation.

He also said promotion was done without cash backing, leaving the teachers poorly motivated despite their willingness to give their best.

Sule also urged the governor to appoint competent hands as education secretaries across the 21 local governments and end the politics associated with such appointments.

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