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Tag: NUT

Ebola: Teachers in Cross River, Imo, Abia, Benue, Akwa Ibom refuse to resume

Despite Cross River State government’s directive that schools should be reopened, most schools remained shut yesterday, as teachers insisted that they will not work.

They said they would not resume without being equipped to manage the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD).

Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) Mr. Eyo Nsa Itam told The Nation that they were in alignment with the Federal Government’s directive that states, which were ready, should reopen schools.

According to him, Cross River was not ready.

The Commissioner for Education, Prof. Offiong Offiong, said schools were ready for reopening.

When our reporter visited schools, some pupils resumed, but they were asked to go home.

Pupils in Imo State public schools were sent home yesterday by teachers, who said schools would remain closed pending further directives from the NUT.

The state chapter of the union said it would join the national body to ensure that Ebola preventive facilities were provided in public schools.

Speaking with reporters, the state Chairman of the NUT, Dr. Cletus Iwu Okeke, said the state’s branch would abide by the decision of the national body to ensure a safe environment for pupils.

When The Nation visited Owerri Girls Secondary School, pupils were leaving the premises. They said their teachers asked them to go home.

The state president of private proprietors, Chris Ineh, said their compliance was based on the health facility provided by the Federal Government.

The much-expected reopening of private and public schools for the 2014/15 session did not take place yesterday in Abia State, as the state chapter of the NUT said its members would only resume when government provided the equipment to protect them and pupils from EVD.

Instead of reopening schools, NUT directed its members to attend a meeting on the way forward.

When our reporter visited School Road Primary School, Ibeku High School and other schools in Umuahia, pupils and teachers were not seen, as the classrooms remained shut.

At the School Road Primary School, Umuahia, venue of the NUT meeting, the chairman of the local chapter was not present.

Other union leaders refused to speak to reporters on the outcome of the meeting.

A teacher, John Idika, said the union was not considering any strike.

Said he: “Our interest is to draw the attention of the government to the need to provide public schools with Ebola preventive kits, as directed by the governor.”

At the Ministry of Education where the kits were being distributed to schools, the Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Monica Philips and the Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Victoria Chigbu, could not speak to reporters, as they were distributing kits, such as thermometers, buckets, sanitisers, dispensing kits and soaps to head teachers.

Water would be supplied to the schools through an arrangement made by the Education Ministry.

Public primary and secondary schools in Benue State failed to resume yesterday as directed by the Federal Government.

It was, however, a different scenario in private schools, as most of the pupils resumed for the new academic session.

When The Nation visited private schools, pupils were being taught by teachers, while their counterparts in public schools stayed away from classrooms, as they were shut.

The NUT Chairman, Mr. Godwin Aya, said teachers would resume next month as directed by the Federal Government.

He urged government to put in place steps to prevent children from contracting EVD.

Private nursery, primary and secondary schools in Akwa Ibom State resumed classes yesterday, while their public counterparts remained shut.

The state NUT said last week that it would not resume classes for the new session unless EVD was addressed by the government.

September 23, 2014
NUT leadership is selfish
SIR: Leadership deficit in Nigeria has caught-up with the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) and the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), going by the position of the executives of the two organizations on the resumption date of primary and secondary schools in Nigeria. The government of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (GEJ), stunned many Nigerians, when it announced that the schools were not to resume until October 13, because of Ebola. The announcement came at a time when Nigerians were told that the country was on top of the Ebola crisis, and most parts of Nigeria were only hearing about it, and not experiencing it. Above all, no measure that would warrant delay in resumption of schools was announced prior to the decision to extend the resumption date.

Given the foregoing, the extension announcement made no meaning to many thinking Nigerians, and certain stakeholders immediately protested the absurdity. They argued inter alia that since churches and mosques were not closed, the schools should not be closed. A stronger argument is the fact that people sit closer in our public vehicles and churches than in a normal school setting. To which of these serious arguments have the NUT and NMA addressed themselves? In what sense are the lives of students more precious than the lives of those who attend churches and mosques, and those who board public vehicles? The latter groups are not only adults, but cut across different ages. Even if those who attend churches and mosques, and board public vehicles are only adults, who will take care of the children if the adults die from Ebola?

At any rate, the star of Ebola is sinking in Nigeria, and nobody should terrify us unduly. I want to know how many members of the NUT and NMA executives have their children in public schools, and how many of them will debar their own children from resuming in their private schools this month?

Those who know the executive members should expose them, if they go against what they are advocating. You can now understand why top professionals hold public offices and mess up. Too much of egocentricism and insensitivity bedevil Nigeria. Most people struggle for public offices for self-aggrandizement and not genuine public interest.

Why did the Jonathan administration make the October 13 announcement in the first instance? I believe it was intended to create confusion, since that is its modus operandi. The administration has succeeded in wriggling itself out of the embarrassment, but who is behind the NUT and NMA’s insistence?
- Pius Oyeniran Abioje, PhD,
University of Ilorin.
September 19, 2014
Lagos teachers will not resume Monday – NUT

The Lagos State Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, Mr. Adesegun Raheem, has said that although teachers in the state are ready to resume school on Monday, they will not be allowed to resume until their requirements are met.

He spoke at a one day sensitization programme for principals and head teachers of public primary and secondary schools in Lagos on prevention of Ebola Virus Disease, organized by the state Ministry of Education in collaboration with the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).

He said: “Health experts say that something must be put in place as preventive measures before we can go back to school, but the Lagos State Government apart from the awareness programme going on right now and provision of water in 600 schools out of the 1,007 primary schools and 668 secondary schools has not done any other thing.”

He listed things that should be in place as hand gloves for teaching and non-teaching staff, infrared thermo-scanner for the school, hand sanitizers, running water (not washing hands basin) and creating awareness.

“It is based on this that NUT is saying that it is better we die quickly than slowly and it is better a funeral is held in our honour than for us to be cremated. We give the government from Monday to provide all we asked for if not we will not resume. Let us see these things in our school and we will resume,” he said.

Asked if they would not consider the appeal of President Jonathan and return to schools, he said, “the President did not appeal. He only gave reasons why schools must resume and the reasons he gave was that those that will be traveling out of the country will be stigmatized, and that we should resume so that Nigeria will be given a good name, forgetting that majority of our teachers have not traveled out of the country before.

“If American can give the kind of money they gave to us to fight the disease, I wonder why Nigeria will not put measures in place to prevent the disease.”

September 17, 2014
Resume on Sept 22, Jonathan appeals to NUT, other unions

•Hails Fashola, Amaechi for containing Ebola

President Goodluck Jonathan has appealed to the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and other unions to resume work on Monday, September 22.

The president, who spoke with journalists at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, maintained that the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) has been successfully contained.

He explained that the government has taken adequate and globally accepted measures to check the spread of the disease.

Jonathan said the relevant authorities have put in place necessary equipment and gadgets at the nation’s airports as well as other entry points to stop any further importation of the disease.

He noted that keeping Nigerian schools closed over Ebola would send wrong signal to other countries and make them to treat all Nigerians travellers as Ebola carriers.

He said: “First I want to use this opportunity to thank all Nigerians in terms of managing the Ebola virus. This is one thing that the whole country came together and worked together to fight; there was no issue of politics, there was no issues of religion and there was no issues of ethnicity. In fact, that was why we were able to contain them.”

“If Nigerians did not agree, we wouldn’t have succeeded. I use this opportunity to thank all the governors. Because I met with all the governors and all the commissioners for health. And all the states set up machineries to manage the Ebola, if at all it turned up.”

Decrying restriction of Nigerians from entering some countries, he said: “Our athletes were segregated in China. They had to return to the country. A place like China asked Ministers of the Federal Republic to show prove of Ebola-free certificate; very discouraging.

“And what people don’t know is that as long as you close your institutions because of Ebola, the ambassadors that are here with us and the high commissioners send what you call dispatches to their home states about what is happening in our country monthly.

“As long as we Nigerians close all our public institutions because of Ebola, the dispatches that goes to the whole world is that Ebola is a problem in Nigeria. And as long as we declare that Ebola is a problem in Nigeria, any Nigerian that travels out will be treated as someone that has Ebola.”

The president, who stressed that Ebola is presently not a problem in Nigeria, said: “We have been able to manage Ebola and the whole world is happy with us and we must tell the whole world that we have managed Ebola and no Nigerian should be segregated because of Ebola.

“In fact, Osun State was to have their festival and the news came to me to cancel it. I said no. Ebola is no longer a threat in Nigeria and we must tell the world that we have been able to contain it.

“Yes, Ebola is in the West Coast. It could happen in Ghana, it could happen in Senegal or any of the West African countries or beyond. But they have not closed down their institutions. If we still have Ebola, definitely, we will not open any of our institutions, but we don’t have Ebola.”

He added: “I dare ask, is NUT saying that until the world is able to end Ebola in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone before Nigeria should open our institutions? It is not right. Government is not a fool. It is not any labour body that asked us to take that decision. We took it because we felt that we must protect our citizens.

“This is one government that discusses with anybody that has issues to discuss. Even NUT has no reason to threaten industrial action because of Ebola; the governors took that decision.

I called all the governors of the states to come with their commissioners of health. On the day of that meeting, I did not even allow them to speak because they will play politics. I asked all the commissioners, including the Secretary of Health in Abuja, to brief us on the steps they have taken and they listened to their colleagues because it was also a peer review process.

“If you are hiding certain things by the time you hear your colleagues, you will go back and get things done. We are sure that even if one mad Sawyer comes again, nobody will contract Ebola. We have managed Ebola very well. The world is happy. We must tell the world that no Nigerian should be suspected of Ebola and that is the position of government.”

Appealing to NUT, he said: “I will plead with NUT and other unions that this does not require industrial action. They should commend government, they should work with us; they are Nigerians. All Nigerians must work together to make sure that we contain Ebola. Why do we want to create problems where it is not necessary, it is uncalled for.”

The president praised Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola and his Rivers State counterpart, Rotimi Amaechi, for working with the Federal Government to contain the disease in their states.

He said: “I have to specifically appreciate the governors of Lagos and Rivers states that had incidence of Ebola and how they worked with the Federal Government to manage the situation.”

September 17, 2014
Teachers dare Fed Govt, vow to shun schools

The Federal Government came under fire yesterday as the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) directed its members to boycott classrooms on Monday, September 22.

This teachers’ position was contrary to the government’s order for primary and secondary schools to reopen on that date.

NUT said teachers would resume work on the September 22, if federal and state governments provide all necessary preventive equipment in schools.

President of the association, Michael Olukoya, gave the directive in Abuja, at a briefing with journalists after NUT’s National Executive Council (NEC), meeting.

He directed that except each state government provides training for teachers on handling of Ebola, make available infrared thermometer for the schools, including other facilities such as tap water, hand sanitiser, among others, teachers in such a state should not resume.

The NUT President said teachers were not opposed to the date given by the Federal Government for the resumption, but that its members should not report in any of the schools, except the conditions are met.

His words: “The NUT is strongly of the opinion that it is better to delay the resumption of schools till October 13, 2014, even when the scourge would have been off months ago than to rush and open schools only to be faced with attacks of the EVD in the schools.

“It makes more sense to be doubly sure than to operate on shaky grounds of uncertainty and probability, as it will be a catastrophe of unimaginable dimension, if by any act of omission, we rush and open schools and end up with even one primary or secondary schools being infected by the virus.

“But, where the Federal Government insists on the September 22 date in spite of the wise counsel, the union will rather direct teachers to resume schools whenever they are sufficiently trained and their schools have been provided with the necessary preventive and protective gadgets.”

“For the avoidance of doubt, the teachers have this day resolved to resume classes in obedience to the Federal Government directive in states where teachers have been trained to handle any outbreak and all the required preventive and protective gadgets such as hand gloves, sanitisers, infrared thermometers, running water and soaps have been provided as directed by the Federal Government of Nigeria.

“In states where the training has not been done and the necessary safeguarding gadgets not provided, teachers shall continue to remain at home until their state governments respond positively or the union directs them to the contrary,” Olukoya added.

September 17, 2014
Ebola: NUT dares FG, vow to shun schools Monday

The Federal Government came under fire on Tuesday when the Nigerian Union of Teachers directed its members to boycott classrooms on September 22.

The directive follows Federal Government’s order for primary and secondary schools in the country to reopen next Monday.

NUT said teachers will resume work on the September 22 if federal and state governments provide all necessary preventive equipment in schools.

The President of the NUT, Michael Olukoya, gave the directive in Abuja, at a briefing with journalists after the body’s National Executive Council meeting.

Olukoya directed that except state governments in the country provide training for teachers on handling of Ebola, make available infrared thermometer for the schools, including other facilities such as tap water and hand sanitizer, among others, teachers should not resume.

He, however, said the NUT was not against the date given by the federal government for schools’ resumption, but that its members should not report in any of the schools except the conditions are met.

He said, “The NUT is strongly of the opinion that it is better to delay the resumption of schools till October 13 even when the scourge would have been off months ago than to rush and open schools only to be faced with attacks of Ebola in the schools. It makes more sense to be doubly sure than to operate on shaky grounds of uncertainty and probability, as it will be a catastrophe of unimaginable dimension, if by any act of omission, we rush and open schools and end up with even one primary or secondary schools being infected by the virus.

“But, where the government insists on the September 22 date in spite of the wise counsel, the union will rather direct teachers to resume schools whenever they are sufficiently trained and their schools have been provided with the necessary preventive and protective gadgets. For the avoidance of doubt, the teachers have this day resolved to resume classes in obedience to the federal government’s directive in states where teachers have been trained to handle any outbreak and all the required preventive and protective gadgets such as hand gloves, sanitizers, infra-red thermometers, running water and soaps have been provided as directed by the Federal Government of Nigeria.”

September 16, 2014
NUT hails Ajimobi’s education policy

THE National President of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Mr. Michael Alogba-Olukoya, has praised the Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi for the innovations he has brought to the state’s education sector.

The NUT chief hailed the raising of the bar of primary school teachers, who are university graduates from Grade Level 14 to Grade Level 15.

He the move had addressed the long years of the teachers’ stagnation.

Alogba-Olukoya, who spoke at the inauguration of a model school built by the state wing of NUT at Apata, Ibadan, also acknowledged the increase in the salaries of workers recently announced by the governor.

“When I was invited to this occasion, I enquired from the state NUT officials whether they had any issue with the governor or whether they had any problem with the state government. They said that all their demands had been granted by the governor.

“I even tried to pull their legs, but they stood their ground and insisted that as far as Governor Ajimobi was concerned, he had been a good father to Oyo State teachers,” he said.

The provision of the gazette that would ease teachers’ burden upon retirement as well as the provision of utility vehicles for NUT, ANCOPSS and COPHSON also received mention by the NUT president.

All these, he said, had made the governor the toast of the teachers, adding that the union would remain grateful for Ajimobi’s efforts at transforming the education sector.

Meanwhile, the state government has begun the construction of six model schools in the state, with the turning of the sod of Oba Akinbiyi Model School, Mokola in Ibadan.

The conversion of the six Generic Secondary Schools to Model Schools, he said, was a memorable event for the state’s education industry.

“The vision of the present administration of restoration, transformation and repositioning all sectors in the state has put education on our priority list, being one important legacy that the government hopes to bequeath to posterity.

“In this regard, we committed 33 per cent of the total budgetary allocations of the state to the education sector. This is far higher than the UNESCO recommendation,” the governor said.

He identified the schools being converted to model schools as Islamic High School, Orita Bashorun, Ibadan; Baptist High School, Saki; Ogbomoso High School, Ogbomoso; Oba Akinbiyi High School II, Ibadan; Obaseku High School, Eruwa and Abiodun Atiba High School, Oyo.

The model schools, when completed, would have 4 blocks of 6 classrooms each (24 classrooms) with staffroom and toilets, a unit of science laboratory for Physics, Chemistry and Biology; Introductory Technology Workshop; Home Economics Laboratory as well as Administrative Block.

The Administrative Block will include Principal’s Office, Computer Room, Library, School Hall, Sick Bay and Sports Arena.

September 3, 2014
Ebola: NUT hails ‘shifting’ of schools’ resumption

The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) on Thursday commended the Federal Government’s decision to postpone the resumption of schools in the country till October 13 to contain Ebola virus disease spread.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Federal Government had on Tuesday directed primary and secondary schools to resume in October instead September 8, following an outbreak of the disease in the country.

It said the order affected both private and public institutions.

The federal government also said the schools’ resumption date was postponed to enable school officials undergo a two-week mandatory training conducted by health officials on how to handle Ebola cases.

Reacting to the development, the NUT President, Mr. Michael Alogba-Olukoya, told NAN that the decision was commendable.

Alogba-Olukoya said the postponement was a proactive and bold step taken to contain the spread of the Ebola virus disease.

“I want to appreciate the Federal Government for the N1.9 billion intervention fund to contain the outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in the country.

“I want government to ensure that the fund is judiciously utilised to avoid and prevent the spread of the deadly virus.

“The idea of allowing Nigerian factor as it concerns the fund should be seriously discouraged,’’ he said.

He also called on government to make efforts in developing vaccines for prevention and provide screening centres where Nigerians can go for test pending the resumption of schools.

Besides, he said the two-week mandatory training to be conducted by health officials for school officials was a good decision.

He, however, called on the school authorities, health officials and other stakeholders to exhibit seriousness, commitment and patriotism during the two-week training.

“My candid advice to all teachers in the system is that they should be conscious of their primary contact.

“They should abide by the rules and they should equally advice the students to comply with the protective measures being put in place by the health officials,’’ he stated.

August 28, 2014
Boko Haram: 173 teachers killed, says NUT

•Threatens strike over unpaid 27.5 per cent allowance in Unity Schools

A total of 173 teachers have lost their lives in Boko Haram attacks in Borno and Yobe states over the years,the National President of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), Mr Michael Olukoya,said yesterday.

One hundred and seventy of the teachers were killed in Borno and the remaining three in Yobe, he told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Uyo.

He decried the continued detention of the Chibok schoolgirls by the insurgents and the unabated siege of the school system by Boko Haram in the country.

The NUT president called on the Federal Government to expend all resources available to free the abducted schoolgirls and save them from the psychological trauma.

“Government should appropriately police the school environment for the security of pupils and teachers and create conducive learning environment for quality education delivery,” Olukoya said.

Speaking at a separate press conference, the NUT President who was in Uyo for the union’s fifth quadrennial meeting with the theme, “Changing Nigeria’s fortune through quality teachers,’’ warned that the NUT would go on strike should the Federal Government fail to address the issue of payment of 27.5 Teachers Allowance to its members in unity schools and other federal schools.

He said the union would meet with teachers in the affected schools and give the federal government deadline on the payment of the allowance.

“Up till now, our teachers in unity schools have not been paid the 27.5 per cent Teachers’ Allowance. After this conference, we are meeting with teachers of unity schools and we will give the federal government a deadline,” he said.

“If, after the expiration of the deadline, the 27.5 per cent Teachers’ Allowance is not paid, we will embark on strike. The strike will be total. NUT will also join teachers of the unity schools and other federal schools in the strike.

“The time is ripe in Nigeria for the regulated scale of salary and other conditions of service to take a central stage in national attention if, indeed, the quality of teaching and the quality of

education are to translate into national fortune.”

The union also blamed the nation’s worsening educational standard on the state of infrastructural decay, saying the situation has led to serious crises of confidence among stakeholders in tertiary institution.

The NUT said that unless there is a revolutionary improvement in the state of facilities in primary and secondary schools, every other expenditure on education would amount to a waste of the country’s resources.

July 12, 2014
NUT berates Fed Govt over unpaid teachers’ allowance

The National President of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Michael Olukoya, has condemned the Federal Government over its refusal to pay teachers in unity schools and other federal schools 27.5 per cent Teachers Allowance.

Olukoya, who also decried the dearth of teachers in schools, said state governments annually retire teachers without replacing them.

According to him, this has led to a decline in teacher-pupil ratio in the public schools.

He spoke yesterday during the 56th (5th Quadrennial) National Delegates’ conference of the NUT in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital.

He frowned at the state governments for congratulating themselves for providing free primary and secondary education, saying the reality remained that the needed number of teachers to function in schools was not sufficient.

He explained that the pupil/students-teacher ratio has continued to increase and this development posed serious impediment to effective teaching and learning.

His words: “It is unfortunate that the Federal Government – leader in political authority and the one expected to show the light for others to follow, could not accord its teachers in Unity Schools and all other Federal agencies’ schools, the needed honour of paying them the 27.5 per cent Teachers Allowance, which came into effect since 2008.

“You are all witnesses to the magnitude of infrastructural decay and near absence of educational facilities in some of our schools. This adverse situation has gone a long way to compound the deplorable conditions of our public schools.

“This despicable condition lends a tacit support and stimulation for the growth of private schools, inspite of the enormous school fees charged by these private schools. One may not dig deep to uncover the fact that most of these schools are owned by key government functionaries past and present.

“The scenario creates a picture that it is a deliberate but tacit policy of the states to under develop the public schools to encourage their private enterprise to prosper, flourish and boom to the detriment of public schools and the common man.

“The NUT says ‘no’ to this subtle approach to privatisation of education. Education is a fundamental human rights and the government must do all within her reach to provide basic education as a social service to the citizenry without any inkling of discrimination as regard to social class, and religion.”

Olukoya appealed to federal and state governments to compensate the families of the 173 teachers (170 from Borno and 3 from Yobe states) who died in terror attacks.

Speaking at the conference, President Goodluck Jonathan reiterated the commitment of the Federal Government to teachers’ training .

Jonathan, who was represented by Minister of Labour and Productivity, Emeka Wogu, said without quality teachers, nation building would be difficult to achieve.

He described the theme of conference: “Changing Nigeria’s Fortune through Quality Teachers” as apt, saying it captured Nigerians’ aspirations.

Jonathan urged the union to always tow the line of peace and dialogue.

He said: “Undoubtedly, education holds the magic wand for national development and advancement basically due to the fact that without a well educated population, there is no way we can effectively and efficiently harness and mange our resources for socio-economic, geo-political and other institutional sustainable development.

“This is why we must lay emphasis on the training and education of our children and youths in whose hands the management of the future affairs of our country lies. These noble objectives cannot be achieved in any nation such as ours, without quality teachers as you have advocated in your theme for today’s event.

“This administration is mindful of this fact and education as the bedrock of civilisation forms part of the transformation agenda and other economic policies, programmes and projects currently being considered and implemented in the nation.

“In this regard, government have in the recent past re-inaugurated a lot of reforms with the sole aim of improving teachers’ skill and welfare to compliment its structural innovations. There eventually would result in better working conditions for teachers and better learning conditions for learners.”

The Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike, urged teachers at the secondary and tertiary levels to place emphasis on Science, Mathematics, English and Technology.

Wike said: “It is important to also add the need to have, not just purely academic curriculum, but also training in soft curriculum like Critical Thinking Skills, Analytical Skills, Communication Skills, Interpersonal Relations Skills, and Customer Service Skills.

“We must make learning come alive, real ad fun through required, justifiable Fieldtrips and Career Days (integrated into the curriculum). It is important to mention here that parents must be constructively involved in the education of their children, through Parents Teachers Association PTAs, parenting classes, adult literacy programmes and faith-based organisation.”

July 10, 2014