The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Bayelsa teachers

  • Primary school teachers protest in Bayelsa

    Primary school teachers protest in Bayelsa

    Primary school teachers in Bayelsa on Wednesday demanded transfer of their financial obligations from the local government to federal and state governments.

    About 100 teachers under the aegis of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) marched from their secretariat located at Erepa through Otiotio to the Isaac Boroh Expressway, Yenagoa, chanting solidarity songs.

    Led by their state’s Chairman, Mr. Kalama Tonpre and Principal Secretary, NUT, Mr. Johnson Hector, the teachers said the local government authorities lack the capacity to pay their salaries, subventions and welfare packages.

    They lamented that they had been subjected to untold hardship by the local government areas, which owed them various arrears of salaries.

    The teachers displayed placards with inscriptions such as “Pay teachers’ salary for sustainable education, “Show total love for education,” “Stop politicising primary education, it is dangerous,” and “Funding of primary education should be the responsibilities of states and federal government.”

    Other placards contained brief messages such as “Respect the Supreme Court judgement that states should pay primary school teachers,” Local government councils do not have the capacity to pay primary school salaries,” “We say no to the dark era of non-payment of salaries” and “Shaky foundation collapses system.”

    Addressing the teachers, Hector said the protest was a mandate of the national body of NUT to create awareness on the poor condition of teachers ahead of the proposed amendment of the 1999 Constitution.

    He said the NUT was in total support of local government autonomy on a condition that the funding and salary components of primary school teachers be transferred to the state government.

    He said: “We are not against local government autonomy but we are of the position that the salary component of the primary school teacher should be removed from the local government because it is obvious that local government doesn’t have the capacity to pay primary school teachers.

    “We don’t want to be owed salaries for 12 months. We don’t want teachers to go on strike and close schools for months.”

     

     

  • Bayelsa teachers suspend strike as Dickson releases N300m

    Bayelsa teachers suspend strike as Dickson releases N300m

    Bayelsa State chapter of the Nigeria Union Teachers (NUT) yesterday called off its strike.

    It directed primary school teachers to resume academic activities.

    The union said it stopped the strike, following the release of N300 million by Governor Seriake Dickson to augment the payment of primary school teachers in the local government areas.

    A statement by its Chairman Kalaama John Tonpre and Secretary Johnson Hector expressed appreciation to the state government for its gesture, which it said would alleviate their plight.

    Others who endorsed the statement are: the Chairmen of five local areas, including the Vice-Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Kuroghofa Walter Benwari and its Secretary, Ebiango Egain.

    The resolution to stop the strike, the union said, was reached after deliberations between the various local government and executive committee of the NUT in Yenagoa.

    The NUT hailed the state government for its financial assistance and resolved that local government areas would facilitate the payment of February salaries to teachers.

    The statement added that no teacher would be victimised by any local government area for participating in the strike.

    It said other issues raised by the NUT would be subsequently addressed.

  • Bayelsa teachers suspend strike

    Bayelsa teachers suspend strike

    The Nigeria Union Teachers (NUT), Bayelsa State chapter, on Tuesday called off its strike and directed primary school teachers in the state to resume academic activities.

    The union said it stopped the industrial action following the release of N300million by the state Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson, to augment payment of primary school teachers’ salaries in local government areas of the state.

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    In a statement issued on Tuesday by NUT Chairman in the state, Kalaama John Tonpre and Secretary, Johnson Hector, the Union thanked the state government for the gesture, saying it would go a long way to alleviate their plight.

    Others who endorsed the statement are the Chairmen of five local councils including the Vice-Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) in the state, Kuroghofa Walter Benwari and its Secretary, Ebiango Egain.

    The decision to stop the strike, the union said, was reached after exhaustive deliberations between the various local councils and executive committee of the NUT in Yenagoa.

     

     

  • Bayelsa teachers to continue strike

    The Bayelsa State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has urged public primary and secondary school teachers to continue with the union’s strike.

    Teachers have been on strike since the resumption of the new academic session over unpaid salary arrears and other obligations the government has failed to fulfil.

    It was gathered that the NUT held an emergency congress on Monday and resolved that the strike should continue.

    The union advised the teachers to disregard the directive of the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS) that they should resume work.

    The State NUT Chairman Kalama Tonpre said ASUSS might have been compromised.

    He urged the teachers to stay at home until the NUT would call off the strike.

    Kalama advised the public to disregard the Information Commissioner’s allegation that the NUT had been politicised.

    The union leader said the commissioner’s statement was his personal opinion, which did not represent the position of the state government.

    The state government yesterday assured the teachers of prompt payment of their salaries and allowances.

    It urged them to call off their strike.

    Education Commissioner Markson Fefegha spoke at a workshop on the preparation of monthly payment vouchers and nominal rolls at the D. S. P. Alamieyeseigha Memorial Banquet Hall in Yenagoa, the state capital.

    Fefegha said the preparation of vouchers was in line with the present administration’s policy on transparency to stop the sharp practices by those it called unscrupulous elements in the system.

    The commissioner said the seminar would address voucher preparation to ease payment process, adding that the Seriake Dickson administration was passionate about the teaching profession.

    He said: “I am sure that most of you have received the two halves. We are working assiduously so that by next week you will receive your other month’s salary so that you will not only be at par but will be ahead of other civil servants in the state.”

    Also, Information and Orientation Commissioner Jonathan Obuebite expressed appreciation the head teachers for their cooperation.

  • Dickson gets ultimatum to pay teachers’ salaries

    Primary and secondary school teachers in Bayelsa State on Thursday gave Governor Seriake Dickson a seven-day ultimatum to pay their over six-month salary arrears.

    The teachers under the aegis of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) said non-payment of salaries had thrown them into unbearable hardship.

    They had earlier issued a 21-day ultimatum to the local and state government on non-payment of salaries and other issues.

    But following the expiration of the ultimatum and government’s inactions, the teachers renewed it by seven days.

    The teachers in a communique’ jointly signed by the state Chairman of NUT, Mr. Kalama Toinipre and Secretary, Mr. Johnson Hector, asked the government to reinstate dismissed teachers who were employed in 2008 and 2009.

    They also asked the government to address issues of transfer of management and duty-post allowances to principals and head teachers.

    They further appealed to the government to look into non-payment and non-implementation of teachers’ promotion and N18, 000 minimum wage arrears.

  • Bayelsa teachers in terrible condition – NUT

    The national leadership of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) on Thursday described the plight of teachers in Bayelsa State where the government declared emergency in education, as “pitiable and pathetic.”

    The NUT leaders made the observation at a press conference on Wednesday in Yenagoa, the state capital after a two-day consultative meeting with its state chapter.

    The President, NUT, Mr. Michael Olukoya, lamented that months of unpaid salaries had left teachers on the throes of untold hardship.

    Olukoya said NUT national executive came specifically to meet state Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson, over the teachers’ plight, but were told the governor was not available.

    He, however, appealed to the state government to pay the teachers’ salaries.

    He said: “The working conditions of teachers here in Bayelsa are pathetic. The state of workers here is nothing to write home about. Despite their working conditions, we commend the teachers for allowing maturity, peace, concord and amity to prevail.

    “We have come here to plead with Governor Seriake Dickson that teachers should be paid their salaries.  Look at the terrain of Bayelsa State, we have some communities that it will take hours before you can get there. It costs money and what have you. So, we are appealing to Dickson to pay the salaries of our members.

    “Next to the issue of unpaid salaries is the minimum wage or consolidated arrears.  We stand to be challenged. We appeal that the government should not just take teachers for a ride.

    “Every category of workers in Bayelsa State had been paid these arreas except the teachers. Teachers, mother of all professions, why are you treating them like this? So, we want to appeal to the government of Bayelsa State that this minimum wage or consolidated arrears that have eluded teachers should be paid to them.”