Shehu Abubakar
29 December 2007
Gusau — Teachers of both secondary and tertiary institutions in Zamfara State have threatened to resign en mass from work if the state government refused to improve on their welfare and implement the new salary scale in the state.
About 921 teachers of secondary schools in the state have so far resigned their appointments between March and November alone while 11 have resigned from the state tertiary institutions between June and November this year.
President of the forum for Zamfara State tertiary institutions (FOZASTI), Mr. Ja'afar Mucktar told Weekly Trust that the agitation for improved welfare of teachers of tertiary institutions in the state is a matter that should be taken seriously by government.
"As we are talking now, five teachers have so far resigned their appointments from the College of Agriculture, Bakura. Three others from the Social department of College of education, Maru have resigned.
"Here in ZACAS (Zamfara College of Arts and Science), Gusau three teachers have also resigned. All those that resigned are complaining of poor condition of service. We want the immediate implementation of our new salary scale and the provision of modern teaching equipment," he said.
Mr Mucktar said the federal government in a bit to alleviate teachers of their sufferings has approved a new consolidated salary scale for teachers of tertiary institutions in the country.
"On the 13th of January, 2007 the federal government issued a circular through the national salaries incomes and wages commission advising the various agencies in the states to implement the new salary.
"The circular also made the same provision for medical and health workers. The medical and health workers in the state have been enjoying the new salary but the state is yet to pay teachers of tertiary institutions that same salary," he said.
The FOZASTI president said teachers in the state are not happy that the state government is not showing any interest in paying them the new salary.
He said many of them are looking for other jobs while those that are left to teach are reluctant in putting in their best.
Mr Mucktar is very optimistic that if the new salary will be implemented, science and technical equipments provided in all the schools, the standard of education will certainly improve in the state.
"Majority of the teachers are willing to put in their best but we cannot do that when we are living in abject poverty as a result of poor salary and bad condition of service. Government should improve our condition if they want the best out of us," he said.
He lamented that some of the courses being taught in some of the state tertiary institutions in the state are not accredited by the appropriate authorities due to lack of required teaching equipments.
"This very administration is trying its best. We noted that education has been given the largest single vote in the 2008 proposed budget. They are renovating schools and building more classrooms and hostels and yet the standard of education has refused to improve in the state.
"That is a pointer that there are yet to be addressed problems. We are the operators of the system. The governor should invite us and hear from us what the problems are. Nobody can know the problems in that sector better than us. That is better than sinking billions without results," he said.
Some of the secondary and primary school teachers that resigned their appointments blamed the management of the state universal basic education board (SUBEB) of frustrating them.
Mr Isa Yusuf said he resigned from teaching because the SUBEB was not paying his allowances and that there was no promotion for him after several years of meritorious service.
"I taught for several years under frustrating conditions. Some of the schools had their roofs blown off. No chalks to even write with. Teachers' text books were not provided by the SUBEB.
"You have no where to complain to. Officials of the SUBEB do not come around the schools for supervision. Every day we hear over the state radio that SUBEB has spent millions of naira over un-existing projects," he said.
When contacted, chairman of SUBEB in the state, Mohammed Aliyu Anka said he will only answer questions from journalists in a press conference he is planning to address at a later date.
However, the state commissioner of education, Alhaji Sanda Mohammed Danjari said the state government is aware of some of the problems in the education sector and is doing everything possible to tackle them.
He said steps are being taken to address the problems. He said the state government has recently recruited some teachers to ensure that they have enough to teach in the schools.
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