When I was much younger, teaching as an occupation in Kogi State was a desirable and well sort after job. But after some years and different administrations, I can categorically say that teachers in the state are trooping down to the lower class of the economy. Now most teachers are swimming in debts, struggling to have a complete three-square meal, training their kids. Etc. I was pained to have taken my pen to write this open letter to you the serving Governor Captain Idris Wada and will be focusing mainly on the working conditions of the primary school teachers in the state.
Firstly sir, I was shocked and perturbed that the state Government is yet to start the payment of the minimum wage that is meant for all government workers in the country. The government is still finding it difficult to pay the primary school staff their appropriate wage after over three years that it has been approved. I can’t still fathom why other workers in the state will be benefiting from the wage while the primary school teachers are left to suffer and live in penury. It is not right anywhere for someone to work and not get paid for the services. It is derailing and devastating for some workers to see their colleagues in other states and parastatal flourishing while they are still agitating and protesting for the payment of their minimum wage. Your Excellency, it is high time you took swift actions towards the payment of the minimum wage of the primary school teachers.
Also, one of the short comings in your administration towards the primary schools teachers is the irregular and late payments of their salaries. We are now in the month of September and the poor teachers are yet to be paid their salaries for the month of June, July and August. It is unbearable for someone to work for months and not get paid when it is due. It leads to accumulation of debts and delay in plans. There have been series of cases where the officials in charge of the payment save the money in banks so that it will accumulate interest. This evil deed should be halted and the teacher’s salary should be paid on time and regularly because nobody deserves to face such an obnoxious act.
Your Excellency, due to the problems have listed above have led to incessant strike in the state by the Nigeria Union of Teachers and has led to low standard of primary education in the state. Public schools in the state have been closed down for months and the government is nonchalant about it. What we have seen so far is screening of the teachers in which the result is not known, there was even a case where you commissioned a new primary school building while they are on strike.
Sir, the Primary Education is and will always be the backbone of education that cannot be surrogated and it is time a state of emergency is declared in the sector. We want our pupils and teachers to get back to their classrooms under good conditions, better buildings, and more teaching materials. Also I want to state it clearly that this letter is not in any way related to politics but just an observation I wish to air out.
FUNSHO MICHAELS
07062706840
