TEACHERS STAGE ANOTHER PROTEST TO GOVERNMENT HOUSE
Lagos
TEACHERS STAGE ANOTHER PROTEST TO GOVERNMENT HOUSE
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TEACHERS STAGE ANOTHER PROTEST TO GOVERNMENT HOUSE – photo DSM |
Monday February 2nd saw about 400 teachers stage another peaceful protest to the Lagos State government secretariat at Alausa Ikeja to demand absorption into Lagos state service. The teachers had earlier held protests at two media houses (Galaxy TV and Channels TV) on Friday January 30. As previously reported on this website this struggle is demanding the re-absorption and full employment in the Lagos State service of 1,100 teachers who had participated in Federal Teachers Scheme (FTS) in Lagos State and who, for more than three months, have been ignored and asked to stay at home till further notice.
The first point of call of the protesting teachers chanting solidarity songs was the governor’s office. The governor, Babatunde Fasola, and members of his cabinet ignored the protesters who stood at the gate for close to an hour on the excuse that they were having a crucial executive meeting. The protesters got the same treatment at the Lagos State House of Assembly where they went to seek audience with the Speaker of that parliament. The protesters were however able to submit their protest letter to the secretaries to both the governor and the speaker. The protesters also matched to the office of the deputy governor who doubles as the commissioner for education but also did not meet her in office. The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education came out to attend to the protesters and promised that the government would look into their plight, but also stated that the teachers should have sent their leaders rather than coming as protesters.
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TEACHERS STAGE ANOTHER PROTEST TO GOVERNMENT HOUSE – photo DSM |
The Federal Teachers Scheme (FTS), as initiated by the federal government in collaboration with state governments, was meant to recruit, induct and post qualified National Certificate in Education (NCE) graduates to all the states across the federation. The shortlisted teachers were placed on a two years’ probation after which the respective State governments were expected to absorb the teachers into its service. 40, 000 teachers were recruited across the federation, out of which 1,100 worked in Lagos State public primary schools across its local governments. The scheme started in October 2006 and ended October 2008 and, since last November, these teachers have not been absorbed by the Lagos State government.
A special advert, jointly issued and signed by the Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission and Chief Executive of the National Teachers’ Institute Kaduna, published in Nigerian Tribune on Thursday January 29 buttressed the foregoing. It reads in parts, “The Federal Teachers scheme (FTS) was established with the aim of providing adequate number of qualified teachers at Basic education level. In almost all states of the Federation there is an acute shortage of qualified teachers. The FTS participants are recruited, inducted and posted to states for a two-year period at the end of which these states are expected to absorb them into their service.”
Some of the teachers who spoke to us stated that they left their jobs in private schools to be able to participate in the scheme in order to be recruited into the public service at the end of the exercise. Most of them also complained that they had to borrow money to see themselves through the scheme with hope that they would be able to repay their loans when they were absorbed into the public service. While the scheme lasted they were paid a paltry sum of N13, 000 per month. A teacher who did not want her name to be published revealed that they were given conditions before the scheme started and the conditions are: “they must not take other jobs as long as the scheme last; they must not get married; they must submit themselves to periodic and constant scrutiny amongst others.” All these conditions were met by the teachers coupled with fact that most of them teach over 100 pupils per class.
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TEACHERS STAGE ANOTHER PROTEST TO GOVERNMENT HOUSE – photo DSM |
Some of the placards carried by the teachers read, “FTS teachers are entitled to employment; Pupils are out there without teachers; Fasola we are hungry; Lagosians needs basic education; mega city must go with mega education; Hardship is too much!! Nigerians deserve better than this.”
The teachers are worried as the Lagos State government have maintained criminal silence on their plight particularly when other states, like Ogun state, have absorbed the 1,200 teachers who participated in the scheme into its service. Before they dispersed the teachers resolved to take further actions should the Lagos government continue to ignore them.
Members of the Education Rights Campaign (ERC) and Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM) including the National Secretary of the ERC, Comrade Bosah Chinedu, participated in the protest in solidarity with the teachers. However, only a few copies of the DSM’s paper, Socialist Democracy, were sold. Perhaps, this is a reflection of the serious financial strait being experienced by these unemployed teachers at the moment.