People's Democratic Party chieftain, Governor Seriake Dickson may be having sleepless nights as formal education in the oil-rich Bayelsa State takes a nosedive.
Seriake Dickson
The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has issued a 21-day ultimatum to the Bayelsa state government to fully pay the four months’ half salary of all teachers or the teachers in the state would stop working, according to Channels TV.
This, they said, would affect their expected participation in the conduct of the National Common Entrance and other examinations.
The state wing executive council of the NUT Bayelsa state chapter issued a 9-point communique titled “Not Until We Perish” highlighting their resolution after an emergency meeting to discuss the lingering non-payment of six months’ salaries to primary and secondary school teachers.
The state chairman of the NUT, Kalama Tonpre, while reading the communique, said that the union was committed to enhancing public school system but demands improved working conditions.
He highlighted “the apparent hardship suffered by teachers on account of the prolonged non-payment of over six months’ salaries owed primary and secondary school teachers in order to be at par with other civil servants in the state”.
Other problems discussed were the planned dismissal of teachers employed in 2008/2009, the non-payment of duty post allowances, shifting the responsibility of funding primary school teachers’ salaries to local government councils and non-implementation of promotions.
Others are the 18,000 naira minimum wage arrears and non-inclusion of stakeholders in state education law committee.