Minimum Wage: Borno Primary Schools Remain Shut As Teachers Join Nationwide Strike
SAN FRANCISCO, June 03, (THEWILL) – Primary schools in Borno State were shut on Monday with the teachers staying away from work as the nationwide industrial action ordered by the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) on Saturday over failure of some states to meet up with their obligations over the N18, 000 minimum wage issue began in earnest in the affected states, including Borno.
Many of the students who went to schools apparently unaware of the strike had to return home as the schools were under lock and key.
The State Chairman and Publicity Secretary of the NUT, Bulam Abiso and Usman Kachalla, respectively, had, in a circular, asked teachers in the state to join the strike from Saturday, June 1 as the union appealed to the state government to pay the minimum wage in order to save the education sector from being grounded because of the strike.
The circular had noted that "The state government has assured teachers on various occasion that government will clear all outstanding arrears of teachers by February at the same time finish the biometric data capturing after which new the new wage will be implemented to all teachers in primary schools in the state by March 2013 but failed in her promises."
It however lamented that the NUT had “given the state government three weeks notice to pay up all teachers their minimum wage in arrears or risk pupils staying at home but we received no response."
The strike came as the State Commissioner for Higher Education, Hon. Bello Ayuba, disclosed that the state government had began a massive development of all tertiary institutions in the state and had actually spent the sum of N227 million on the provision of necessary infrastructure in the institutions.
This, according to the Commissioner, was to ensure that courses being run by these institutions are accredited by the various regulatory bodies, adding that it was also aimed at creating a conducive environment for higher studies in the state.