Teachers in Niger State staged a sit-in protest, causing public school students in the state to miss three months of learning. The impacted students were at home while their peers in private schools were in class. In this report, JUSTINA ASISHANA analysed the setback created by this development, comparing it to the loss of learning resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic that forced shutting down of schools in 2020.
Thousands of children in public primary schools recently resumed in Niger state as teachers were at home for a three-month-long sit-at-home strike, which began in January 2022. The teachers are protesting the payment of salaries on a percentage basis. The most affected are children attending public primary schools.
The sit-in protest caused public school students in the state to miss three months of learning; while their peers in private schools were in class. It was a setback for the students who also suffered loss of learning resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic shutting down schools in 2020. The Nation caught up with nine-year-old Hawa and two of her classmates at Barkin Sale Primary School when they resumed on March 28 and asked them what they had been doing during the unexpected three-month stay at home.
“I helped my mother in her shop where she sells foodstuff and sachet water. Every morning, after helping her with the housework, I go to the shop and help her to sell,” Hawa said. “My mother buys pure cold water from one woman, and I put it in the cooler and take the cooler to the bus stop where I sell the water sachets until around 4 pm,” says Isah. He spends the day playing and pays scant attention to his books until 11 am, when he goes to the bus stop to hawk the water. “Some days, I sell about two bags. Other days, when the sun is scorching, I sell three bags. I am not the only one selling water, and there were other children, and I enjoyed doing it,” he said.
Mariam did not say anything when asked what she did during her three-month stay at home. She looked at the reporter and just shook her head. In March 2020, the government shut down all schools and enforced restriction of human and vehicular movement nationwide to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. During the forced stay-at-home, most private schools held online sessions for their students. Many public school students could not learn, except for a small number of students who could listen to radio school programs developed by some of the state governments. When classes resumed after the government lifted the COVID-19, most public school kids had missed their studies and were well behind.
After only 14 months of learning, primary school teachers across Niger State began a sit-at-home strike, demanding that local government councils pay them on a percentage basis.
Once again, Maria, Hawa, Isah and other children have had to stay at home and skip their classes. Due to the strike, students have missed the first three months of the 2022 school year. On March 28, 2022, some schools resumed classes. Teachers did not conduct lessons as they held meetings attempting to figure out how to cover the year’s curriculum in the remaining eight months of school. The state government in Niger is responsible for paying the salaries of public secondary school teachers. In contrast, local government councils are responsible for paying the wages of public primary school teachers.
Teachers on strike over reduction in salaries
Teachers’ have been paid on a percentage basis since March 2021. The teachers have been complaining about the reduced pay, especially as the cost of living in the country continues to rise daily. The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) had warned the state government of the intended strike action in December 2021. The Union warned that primary school teachers would not return to school in January 2022 if they received a percentage of their December salaries. The NUT Chairman in Niger State, Comrade Akayago Adamu Mohammed, said paying salaries on a percentage basis was against the law. There is no article in the labour law that specifies wages should be paid on a percentage basis by the government.
Primary school teachers launched their stay-at-home strike in January this year. They timed the start of the strike action to coincide with the day when schools were reopening after the Christmas holidays. The NUT’s decision to call the strike pleased the teachers opposed to the administration’s decision to pay only a percentage of their salaries. Many of them expressed their displeasure at not being able to meet the needs of their families as the administration was only paying a portion of their wages.
According to a salary chart for teachers in the Bida local government area reviewed by this newspaper, a Grade Level 7 teacher whose pay was N36,000 was receiving N17,000 or 48 per cent of the monthly wage. A Grade Level 10 teacher, who pre-pandemic was earning N50,000, was only receiving N24,000 based on the percentage salary review. This development was not in favour of the workers, especially with the increasing food prices in the market. The amount of foodstuff had increased over a while, making it difficult for people to buy foodstuff like before. Most staples like rice, beans, garri, maize, and millet had increased by 50 per cent. Rice sold between N600 to N700 in the last quarter of 2021 and sold between N800 to N900 in December 2021. Sliced bread, a common breakfast item in homes, was increased from N350 to N450 in December. As of December, eggs were sold for N1,700 against N1300 to N1,500.
Teachers who had taken out a loan faced an even more difficult situation. There was no reprieve from loan repayment. Many teachers’ wages were only N10,000 or less after paying off their monthly loan repayments, making it difficult to feed and care for their families. The NUT suspended the sit-at-home strike on March 24. The Niger State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) called off a protest it had initiated to demand an end to percentage-based wages
The NUT chairman, Mohammed, stated that the Union felt compelled to strike to press their demand, despite knowing that it would impact students. The percentage salaries made it difficult for teachers to care for their families. “The teachers were not doing well. They didn’t have enough to feed their families. The teachers are not pleased, and none of us is happy with how we have been exploited. We informed the governor and other stakeholders that we were dissatisfied with them,” he explained.
The strike’s impact on children
According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), COVID-19 has affected nearly 60 per cent of students worldwide. Since its outbreak two years ago, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted education systems worldwide, wreaking the most havoc on the most vulnerable students. It has exacerbated an already-existing education crisis and increased inequalities. The COVID-19 pandemic threatened years of progress in global education. Since the pandemic began, school closures have affected up to 91 per cent of enrolled students, or 1.6 billion children worldwide.
Primary school students in Niger state have missed nearly 18 months of schooling, first from the enforced shutdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and from the prolonged strike. Education analyst, Nancy Jonathan, described it as detrimental to the children’s learning process. “When these children return to school, the teachers will be starting with a blank slate because they have missed months of learning while playing or earning money for their families. It will also impact their confidence, particularly in situations where their private school counterparts discuss what they have learned in school. Still, because they are no longer on the same page, they will develop an inferiority complex,” she explained.
Niger State has 298,192 primary school children out of school. Niger State Education Commissioner, Hajiya Hanatu Jubril Salihu, disclosed this during a state-wide campaign targeting out-of-school children. Of the children out of school, 127,342 are female, and 161,750 are male. The majority of children interviewed in Niger State said they rarely read their books during their teachers’ sit-in protest. In contrast, others said there were no books to read; so they either hawked for their parents or played during the period. Some students expressed concern about what they would face when school resumed fully.
“Aunty, are we in the third or second term?” Hawa inquired. “My friend in Himma School has finished her exam. We used to finish our exams simultaneously, but now our term hasn’t even begun. I’m not sure what our teacher will do,” she said worriedly, squeezing her tiny face.
The Niger State Ministry of Education released a statement on March 30 adjusting the 2021/2022 academic calendar to allow schools to cover the curriculum. According to the adjusted calendar, the 2nd term, which began on March 28, will end on June 3, which means the pupils will spend ten weeks instead of 12 weeks. The pupils will have only a week holiday before they return to school for the third term, which will start on June 13 and end on September 2. After a two weeks holiday, the primary school pupils will resume classes in sync with their private school colleagues for the start of the 2022/2023 academic session.
- This article was produced by the Africa Women’s Journalism Project (AWJP) in partnership with the ONE Campaign and the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ)