Why we don't support councils' autonomy - NUT

...threatens strike over unpaid entitlements
By Ernest Akpan

The threat of widespread disruption to children's education is hanging over schools in Akwa Ibom State when they resume academic work on 16th September as the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) may begin industrial strike if the government fails to reach "sensible agreement" to clear all outstanding arrears of salary, promotion arrears, leave grants and other sundry entitlements owed Primary/Secondary school teachers in the state.

The union, through its Chairman, Comrade Etim Ukpong during a courtesy call on The Speaker of Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Samuel Ikon, also observed that, granting autonomy to Local Government Councils in the country would tantamount to security breach as teachers at the Primary school level would no longer be assured of their salaries as at when due.

In his response, the Speaker of Akwa Ibom state House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Samuel Ikon commended the NUT for their sense of patriotism of not making strike as the only option, and asked the teachers to remain calm as Primary School teachers will soon receive their July salary. He promised to impress it on SUBEB through the House Committee on Education to complement the Free and Compulsory Education initiative of the State Government.

The Speaker urged the House Committee Chairman on Education of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly to interface with the ministry of Education, SUBEB and other relevant agencies with the view to raising primary school teachers’ job satisfaction. In specific terms, the Speaker enumerated the following issues as requiring attention if the situation is to improve to a satisfactory level: paying teachers’ regularly, improving their working environment, addressing the problem of irregular payment of pension and gratuities after retirements, improving school management and opportunities for in-service teacher training, and eliminating the current long delays in teacher promotions.

The NUT Chairman appealed to the House of Assembly in the states to put the teachers welfare paramount by rejecting any semblance of abolition of Local Government Joint Account and establishing her right of oversight over the Local Government.

He was quick to add that the action could also lead to total collapse of the primary education, consequent upon uncontrollable industrial actions that will ensue in all Councils.

The Union however proffered two options to checkmate the imminent disaster, saying that the status quo should be maintained and insisted on maintaining the State Joint Local Government Accounts for the sake of guaranteeing the salaries of the teachers.

Ukpong also reasoned that the teachers’ salaries could be paid from first line charge from the Federation Account, through the Universal Basic Education Commission.

The Union also submitted that the responsibility of paying the salaries of teachers should be handed over to the State Governments, in which case, the salaries component of the revenue allocation of the Local Governments be transferred to the State Government.

Primary education is on the concurrent Legislative list while Secondary education is managed and financed by the State Government with the exception of 96 Federal Government Colleges. There are two of these Colleges in each of the 36 States of the federation. The management of Primary schools has not been stable since the late 1980s. Over the past decade, Primary education has been managed largely through a centralized structure under the National Primary Education Board, which metamorphosed into Universal Basic Education Board in 2000 and Universal Basic Education Commission in 2004.