Teachers in Rivers State under the aegis of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) have rejected the plan by the Federal Government to transfer the management of primary schools in the country to local government councils.
The State Chairman of NUT in the State, Com. Lucky Nkpogene dropped the hint during a peaceful procession march to the State House of Assembly over the weekend in Port Harcourt.
The union took to the street carrying various placards to register their disapproval over the move to return the management of primary schools back to local government councils in the country.
Com. Nkpogene however, said the union was not opposed to the move to make local governments in the country autonomy, adding that such transfer should not include handing over payment of teachers salaries to the local government councils.
He disclosed that the move also include to scrap the State Joint Allocation Account from the local government councils which according to him would amount to bringing back 1994 sad experience where local Government Councils were unable to pay teachers salaries for May months.
“We are concerned on the move to scrap the state Joint Allocation Account from the LGAs account. Any attempt to do so will amount to taking back the teachers to the 1994 era”, he stated.
According to the State NUT Chairman, most local government councils lacked the financial and political will to manage as well as fund primary schools in their various LGAs and vowed that the union would resist any attempt by government to introduce stringent policies that would bring sufferings and hardship to their members.
He urged government to rescind its decisions and focus on how to make the country’s educational system become more effective and better, rather than introducing policies that are aimed at impoverishing their members who have put in their lives in the development of the society.