If primary education must survive in Benue state …

Education-page-3-pixNews report from Benue state indicates that primary school teachers are just returning to the classroom, eight months after being on industrial action over poor teaching conditions. KULA TERSO takes a look at the dwindling fortunes of basic education in that state and the way forward

It has been confirmed that the Primary school teachers in Benue state who downed tool for almost eight months have resumed classes, thus bringing to an end an industrial action that had crippled the system.
The prolonged strike was necessitated by the teachers’ insistence that as civil servants, they must be included in the #18,000 national minimum wages which other civil servants in the state including their counterparts in the Secondary School system under Teaching Service Board (TSB) were enjoying.

The contention
The crises between the teachers and the state government had its genesis from when the government approved and implemented the national minimum wage to civil servants in the state from August 2011 and left out primary school teachers. This development, the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) Benue State branch chairman, Godwin Anya, interpreted as an insult and a deliberate attempt not only to undermine the teachers but to perpetually treat them as second class civil servants’’ hence the need to bring government to its right senses”.
The aftermath is the downing of tools by the teachers in the state by June 2013 for and barely two months of the action, a powerful delegation of the Benue State government headed by the Deputy Governor, Chief Stephen Lawani met with the national officials of the NUT in Abuja where resolutions were reached, agreements signed and industrial action eventually called off. But the state government eventually reneged on the agreement, necessitating the one that had just been called off.
Curiously, while the eight months strike lingered, government made a pronouncement that it cannot afford to pay those who are not working, declaring “ no work, no pay” punitive measure.
Despite persistent complain by the teachers and stakeholders, Suswam remained adamant, maintaining that it was practically impossible to implement the wage, citing reasons of continuous dwindle in the states’ allocation and other sources of fund. He further pointed out that monthly allocations from the federal government to Benue are usually within the range of #2.6bn to #2.8bn.
To justify the position of his master, the special adviser to the governor on local government and Chieftaincy Affairs Prince Solomon Wombo rolled out statistics to buttress government’s stand. According to him, while salaries of the 24,000 primary school teachers in the government pay roll as implemented under TSS stood at 1.95bn, that of Local government staff remains 1.87bn bringing the total to almost #4bn monthly.
Wombo also pointed out that should government consent to the demand by teachers; their salaries alone will skyrocket to #2.2bn with the implication that once that is paid, the local governments will collapse.
But the general concern as expressed by different observers was on why government still went ahead to sign the initial agreement and “deceived” the teachers to return to class?
Ilyu Adeke, a retired head teacher wondered why same consideration or statistics were not reeled out while government was in the process of implementing the wage for the other sector of civil servants.

Suswam’s justification
As the crises dragged on, Suswam argued that labour and teachers in particular should understand with him, pointing at his past magnanimity towards labour.
He reminded them about the time he assumed office and how his first step was to redeem his promise to the then striking primary school teachers by paying their controversial June/July Salaries that were owed them by the former government of George Akume.
Available records however contradict s the claim by Suswam because as at 2007 when he took over from George Akume, other states were paying a minimum wage of N7, 500.00 and above while Benue was still paying under #5,000 as minimum wage with those on Grade Level 16 (Directors) taking #28,000.
The governor on assumption of duty at that time described the wages as too meager to take care of one’s fare alone and without prompting raised the minimum wage to #7, 500.,iss now finding it difficult to maintain the tempo

Suspension of strike
Now that the strike have been suspended following an agreement government had reached with the leadership of the unions through memorandum of understanding that was eventually signed between representatives of Benue state government headed by the Head of Service, Mr.Terna Ahua, apprehension still hangs in the air on whether the government will keep to its on side of the bargain or not
In the terms of the agreement, the teachers conceded over two years of the arrears of the national minimum wage and accepted to be paid in installments the seven months government had refused to pay while the strike lingered.

It was also observed that the terms of that agreement did not go down well with many teachers, most of whom complained that their officials had conceded too much.
One of those who complained, Pius Iorfa said; “ when you send a representative, whatsoever he agrees upon, you have to take it, after all, you trusted and sent him. If not, this is a very painful decision and I do not want to talk about it”.
For Achakpa Iorwuese, a teacher in Makurdi, “my problem is with the decision to call off the strike before the commencement of the minimum wage implementation. Our representatives would have known that we were not arguing over owed salaries. It was government that declined paying us to punish us for demanding what is ours’’.

Kyagh Joseph, a parent, said “my advice goes to Suswam. He said there is no money and the teachers have now dashed him over two years of their salary arrears, so, he should make good his promise and fulfill all that is in the agreement so that children of the poor too could get education to be better in the society tomorrow”.
As teachers resumed classes,as a result of the fulfillment of the first point on the terms of the M O. U, which is the payment of the first two months salaries, the public and stakeholders in the education sector are keenly watching whether government will, considering the huge sacrifice made by the teachers, keep to the terms of the M.O. U or still renege on it.