Ondo: Primary school teachers protest against LG autonomy

Primary school teachers in Ondo State have protested against the move to grant autonomy to the local government.
The teachers marched to the State House of Assembly on Monday to show their displeasure over the move.

They said if the local governments is granted autonomy, it would hindered the expected development in the education subsector of the economy.
The Daily Times reports that the protesting school teachers are from the eighteen local government areas of the state.

Addressing the legislators on behalf of the National President, Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Michael Olukoya, the State Secretary of the Union, Mr. S. D Igbelowowa recalled that between 1990 and 1994 when primary education came under the control of the local governments, the school system witnessed poor funding.

This, he noted, led to total neglect which prompted industrial crises because of the inability of the local councils to accord primary education the priority of place it deserved.

“Despite an increase in the allocation to the local government councils from the federation account by five percent, to enable the councils play their participatory role in assisting the state government to pay primary school teachers, they were denied salaries for several months.

“The local government councils also failed to contribute their mandatory 15 percent of the teachers’ employment to the pension fund meant for the payment of the teachers’ pension and gratuities.

Olukoya noted that it was because of the situation that led to the establishment of the National Primary Education Commission (NPEC) which effected payment of teacher salaries through the Commission from deductions.

According to him, the development brought stability to the system, but could not succeed due to complaints about ‘zero allocation’ by the local government councils which led to stoppage of the deductions from the Federation Account.

He emphasised that the NUT was not totally against the local government autonomy, but said the Union is concerned about the likelihood of scrapping the state joint local government account which would mean taking primary education back to the dark pre-1994 era.

The NUT chairman contended that experience had shown that local government councils neither have the capacity nor the political will to manage primary schools in the country.
He called for the review of states allocation to guarantee uninterrupted primary education,while salaries of primary school teachers should be paid through the Universal Basic Education Commission(UBEC) from the federation account.

Besides,he urged the Speaker, Bamidele Oleyelogun to facilitate the enactment/amendment of appropriate laws and make adequate budgetary allocation to the education subsection to activate primary education system.
Oleyelogun,while addressing the protesting teachers assured that their demand would be adequately presented at the appropriate quarters for positive outcome.

The Speaker who described teachers as builders of the nation, said their welfare would always be prioritised in the scheme of things.
He thanked them for the matured way they expressed their stand on the issue of local government autonomy, stressing that stakeholders would resolve the issue to the satisfaction of the people.
 

‘Tosin Ajuwon, Akure