Teachers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have once again disrupted the ongoing first-term examinations for primary school pupils. This fresh strike action, which started on Monday, December 2, has left hundreds of children in tears as they were sent home from their schools.
The strike action comes just three days before the end of the term, and has left the future of these students uncertain.
The primary school teachers are protesting over the non-compliance of the area councils in the FCT with the recently approved minimum wage of N70,000. Despite a clear deadline for implementation, the area councils have failed to pay the agreed wage, leaving the teachers with no choice but to resume their industrial action.
This is not the first time this year that FCT primary school pupils have been affected by such disruptions. The teachers had previously gone on strike on September 18, just two weeks into the new term, and the strike lasted for almost three weeks before being called off on October 7.
“The teachers were forced to keep the pupils at home for nearly a month due to unresolved salary issues,” said Comrade Ameh Baba, Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in Kubwa, FCT. “Unfortunately, we are now back in this situation, with the pupils again missing critical exams.”
On Monday, pupils who arrived at school for their final examinations were stunned to find their classrooms locked. Teachers, who are supposed to supervise the exams, were absent, and the school administrators had no choice but to send the children home.
“These children are here to sit for their exams, but we have to send them back home because we cannot continue in a system where our rights are not being respected,” Baba explained. “We are demanding that the area council chairmen pay the arrears owed to us, as well as comply with the new wage structure approved by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.”
The teachers’ anger stems from the fact that despite the FCT Minister’s approval of the minimum wage, many teachers, especially those under the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), have not seen any change in their pay.
Baba pointed out that the teachers in the FCT are still owed N40,000 in peculiar allowances and a N35,000 wage award that has been outstanding for up to a year.
“The money is not just about the minimum wage. It is about the accumulated arrears that the area councils have ignored for months,” Baba said. “We cannot continue working without being properly paid. The situation is unbearable.”
The teachers had earlier received an ultimatum from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) for all state governments and area councils to comply with the N70,000 minimum wage by December 1. With no payments made by the FCT area councils, the teachers decided to act.
“We are left with no option but to comply with the directive of the NLC,” Baba added. “We want to make it clear that we will not back down until our demands are met.”
The latest strike has left parents and students frustrated. Many parents who were unaware of the strike arrived at the schools to find their children locked out.
“I took my child to school this morning to sit for his exams, and we were turned away. This is so frustrating,” said a parent who spoke to Daily Trust. “How can they do this to our children? They’ve been waiting for this exam, and now they are being sent home again.”
The timing of the strike is particularly critical, as it threatens to derail the pupils’ academic calendar and delay their progress. With only three days left in the term, the examination schedules are now up in the air, and the children have already missed out on vital learning hours.
