By Veronica Dariya
Bwari Youth Development Forum in Bwari, Area Council, Abuja, has urged the FCT Administration and the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) in the council to consider pupils and end the lingering strike by the union.
The President of the group, MrJohn Awoyi, made the appeal while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at the sidelines of a Health Talk session for members organised by the Forum on Wednesday.
Awoyi said that the lingering strike by teachers of public primary schools in the council had not only affected the academic calendar of the schools but also slowed down and taken the pupils backwards.
He charged relevant stakeholders at all levels ”to take responsibility and play their parts to ensuring positive resolve is made and the pupils were back to their classrooms.
” I am begging the FCTA to make a collaborative effort to tackle this issue of teachers allowances.
” For almost three months now, which is a complete term, our children have been at home.
” This has affected their academic calendar already and has taken them backwards. Three months at home and out of school may give room to child abuse and other illicit engagements.
” I plead with the FCT Minister, the state NUT and Bwari Area Council to come together to address this critical challenge and allow the teachers perform their duties while the pupils exercise their right to education.”
Awoyi also urged the council administration to prioritise the education and health sector of the council by ensuring that all that was needed to be done received utmost attention.
This, he said, was because both sectors were critical for both human and societal development and therefore, should not be taken for granted.
NAN reports that teachers in public primary schools of the six area councils of the FCT had under the NUT, shut down public primary schools in Jan. 26, over unpaid arrears of promotion benefits and others.
NAN gathered that the demands included non-implementation of teachers’ promotion arrears from 2014 to 2018, non-implementation of 2020 and 2021 annual increments, and upgrading of qualified teachers.
They also want the implementation of 24 months Federal Government approved minimum wage arrears.
NAN also reports that while Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Gwagwalada and Abaji Area councils had since called off the action, schools in Bwari remained shut and pupils still at home. (NAN)
