In order to emphasize their demands for the payment of six years of promotion arrears and four years’ worth of leave allowances, protesters in Akwa Ibom State have shut down the state’s public primary and secondary schools.
The strike will begin on April 25, according to a letter dated April 20 and signed by Sam Umo-Inyang, Senior Assistant Secretary General of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in the state.
According to Mr. Umo-Inyang, the strike, which is the second in less than two years, is a continuation of the one that was earlier terminated last year following the intervention of the Governor Udom Emmanuel.
Teachers in the state started taking industrial action in March of last year because their entitlements weren’t being paid.
“The resumption of the industrial action is consequent upon government’s refusal to implement the agreement reached with the NUT on the outstanding indebtedness due teachers in the state despite persistent appeals from the NUT and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC),” Mr Umo-Inyang said.
Mr Umo-Inyang listed the demands of teachers in the state to include, “Non-refund of 7.5% contributory pension to primary and some secondary school teachers in the state,” and non-release of 2021 and 2022 promotion letters to deserving secondary school teachers.”
Also included in the Union’s demands are “non-payment of years 2013, 2014, 2020 and 2022 leave grants to primary school teachers,” and “non-payment of 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016 promotion arrears to primary school teachers.”
Students in the state were to resume for third term on Tuesday after the Easter holiday but the strike has prevented the resumption and may distort the school calendar, particularly the SS3 students who are preparing for their final exams next month.
In many of the schools visited on Tuesday morning, students were seen in clusters discussing the strike.
At Primary School, Afaha Ube Itam and Ekit Itam, along Ikot Ekpene Road, the gate of the schools were closed while some pupils were seen loitering around the gate.
At West Itam Secondary School, a few students were seen carrying school lockers back to school while others sat on the windows of their classrooms watching football in the field as no teachers attended to them.
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