Primary Sch Teachers Abandoned, Owed Salaries
THE CONFLUENCE IS GETTING DRIED: The Continuous Falling Standard of Primary Education in Kogi State,
Why We Must Not Keep Quiet.
His Excellency, It is with great delight that I am writing this letter to you as a good indigene of Kogi who want great future for the good people of Kogi State.
I hope you won’t see this letter as a letter that is politically motivated or written to disaccredit your administration.
I am a politician and I have affiliation with APC as political party.
I am also social entrepreneur with focus on education. I believe education is the greatest gift you can give anychild because it is the most powerful tool to change the world.
Primary education is regarded as the most important phase in a child’s academic pursuit because that is where the foundation is laid.
In Kogi, however, primary school teachers in public schools face numerous challenges. Apart from being the least motivated on the academic ladder across the country, they are poorly remunerated.
They also lack working tools and training, among other challenges. Many of these teachers lament irregularities in their salaries, months of accumulated arrears of allowances, as well as percentage payments. D T spoke with some of the teachers in some states and now reports
Teachers of primary schools in Kogi State are feeling dejected and have resorted to fate following months of accumulated salary arrears.
According to some teacher, they said life had not been easy for teachers, especially with the current high cost of food items, noting, “they have to engage in other menial jobs to feed my family
Apart from the non-implementation of teachers’ salary scale, their salaries are paid in percentages, with a lot of deductions, they were the lowest paid.
He said life had been difficult for many primary school teachers in the state due to salary cuts and without any payment criteria. “Sometimes a graduate receives less salary than a holder of the National Certificate in Education (NCE),” he said
“There is no date for payment of salaries as teachers must work for 53 to 58 days. Minimum wage was not fully implemented for primary school teachers as compared to their counterparts in secondary schools,” another teacher said.
Findings also revealed that the state branch of the NUT was rendered powerless, such that they cannot tackle the issue.
In Kogi, there are only two alternatives, it is either a child go to school or you go to farm
Our people were wise that they chose to go to school instead of focusing only farming. The dividends is what we are reaping today. Nothing delights an average Kogi parents than to see his children wearing academic gown and achieving excellence within and out the walls of the academic.
I commended you for declaring Free Education but a lot need to be put in place.
From personal research the followings are the problems facing Kogi State Education Sector Primary School Precisely and I will also suggest what can be done to solve the problems:
Lack of Motivation for teachers
Your government is still paying teachers in percentage not full salary since your government come on board.
Unconducive Learning Environment.
Creating a conducive learning environment is asimportant as learning itself. There is need to improve the learning environment across the state. Improved classroom environment will certainly produce a positive results. A lot of schools are inneed of urgent renovations.
Lack Facilities.
A lot schools in the state cannot boast of standard library, science laboratory, ICTcentres and the likes. Providing these facilities will not only aid students’ success in various exams,it will provide a platform where our students can learn more and develop themselves beyond whatis taught in the classrooms.
Finally Your Excellency, Elections are just around the corner. What is the most important issue now, put smiles on their faces.
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