Among the challenges
being faced by teachers in Rivers State, the fact that teachers who have been promoted long ago are yet to enjoy the proceeds of such promotion has become nightmarish to the state Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) boss, Chief Godfrey Nwosu.
In an exclusive interview with The Tide in his office in Port Harcourt, the NUT helmsman stated that since his election in June 2013, convincing teachers that something was being done about the implementation of their promotion had been his greatest challenge.
“Teachers are promoted and it is not immediately implemented, and this has been causing a lot of problems here and there. All efforts to rectify the ugly trend has always proved abortive,” he said.
He explained that at the post primary level, some of the teachers were promoted about two years ago, and are yet to enjoy the benefits of the promotion in terms of payments accruing from the promotion.
The promotion was conducted and I want to inform you that there are people who received their promotion since 2012, but till date, it has not been implemented in the post primary schools board.
“Even in the Universal Basic Education (UBE), the last promotion before the recent one, many teachers have not been paid their promotion arrears till date.
“We have done everything possible to take it up with the UBE board to ensure that as soon as teachers are promoted, the next thing is to implement it.
“If this is done, I believe that this backlog of payments will not arise. Rather than waiting until it accumulates to a huge sum that would be difficult to pay, it would be better to pay immediately,” he said.
The state NUT boss explained further that he had met with the chairmen of both the post primary and UBE boards, who had always promised to “do something” about it.
“The most recent is over the last promotion exercise in UBE in which they released that of Grade level 1-14, leaving those from 15-16, and up till now, we have not heard anything but promises,” he explained.
He explained  that he took the matter to the Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Education, Barrister Minabelem Michael-West, who confirmed the situation and assured him that it was ready, but that the financial implication has not been submitted.
“The big question is, how long will it take for them to submit the financial implication? he asked.
The situation, he said, becomes more worrisome knowing that, “the Governor is education friendly and very much ready to pay teachers”, he lamented.