For the teachers, the just-ended nationwide strike may have had some positive impacts. How positive were the impacts it had on their pupils?

"Thank God, it is over." Chioma screamed. "What is making you to shout like this?" Mary queried. Chioma, still lost in the euphoria of the moment, was still singing what sounded like a thanksgiving song. "What is causing you to rejoice like this?" Mary asked again, wondering why her friend was so excited. Chioma dropped the tray of plantain chips from her head and decided to break the news to her friend: "We can now go to school. The strike has been suspended!"

These students were obviously happy that the National Union of Teachers' (NUT) strike was suspended, but the thought of facing their academic challenges awakened another anxiety in them. Their conversation continued thus: "But wait," Mary paused to ask herself, "What if the examination starts now? What will I write? I have forgotten everything! I did not have time to read. I was busy selling and sometimes watching films. Now this whole thing has been suspended." Chioma responded intuitively: "You see why I wished the school was in session. We would have been thinking more of our books than making money. Now that we have some money, (looking at the naira notes in her hands), but what is in our head?" Chioma asked sarcastically. Mary replied, raising hope in her friend, but entertaining another fear: "But all hope is not lost. We can start reading, but can we recover everything? I just pray that they don't go on strike again, because I heard it was only suspended."

Chioma ended the conversation this way: "I pray the government will grant their request so that all this strike palaver will stop."

This was Chioma and her friend, Mary wishing that the government will succumb to the teachers quest for implementing the Teachers Salary Structure (TSS), after waking up to the reality of facing their academic challenges after spending about five weeks of the strike hawking plantain chips and other items like most of their colleagues.

Many Nigerians woke up to the news of NUT strike on the 30th June with dismay, wishing that the government was able to avert it after the three days warning strike earlier by the teachers. Since that was stalled, they commenced the main strike and its impact was felt by parents, teachers, but mainly by the major stakeholders - students and pupils in these public schools, as some of them were forced to set out on new ventures to strive for a living outside the school environment. The number of youths who took to the streets, hawking and doing some menial jobs was making parents and Nigerians generally say enough is enough! Because these children became added burden on their parents, as their constant idleness was breeding social tension, vices and pains.

Some of the children were reported to have been involved in road and domestic accidents, while others took to odd jobs. Yet others were said to have fallen prey to child traffickers and, subsequently, lured into prostitution. Some have become pregnant while others have dropped out entirely. There were also others who roamed aimlessly and endlessly on the streets.

Grace, who is a pupil of L.E.A 1 Primary School, Kubwa, was seen by this reporter doing one of such jobs while the strike was on. She was in front of her school, this time not discussing homework with her classmates but manning a commercial phone booth. According to her, "I have been doing this for my aunt since the strike started and I make a lot of money. Because customers' dey come well well." And true to her words, there was a young man standing and beckoning on her to give him the cell phone to make a call. That was not the only person with her. A boy of about seven years old was also lurking around her. Who is this boy"? This reporter enquired? "That is my brother, Samson. We are both in the same school, He is in primary 4 in my school too, but he used to stay here with me to make calls," Grace clarified.

When asked if she preferred the strike to continue since she was making money in the business, she promptly answered, "No!" and gave the reason for that, "because I cannot read well. Unlike my brother, who can read fairly well, I don't know how to read, that is why I want the school to resume so that I will learn how to read," she said, obviously unhappy that she could not read. Grace said she was 11years old and in primary 3 and her brother had gone ahead of her because of that. To test her ability, this reporter gave her a book to read and she could hardly pronounce a word. Grace's situation may just reflect the state of most of the children in these public schools.

Another pupil in Model Primary School 3, Kubwa, Abdul Aminu, was seen in the company of his friends and colleagues playing football, a pastime some boys were engaged in during the strike, according to the survey. Football has become a passion for many Nigerian children, youths and adults alike, and Abdul said he spent the strike period playing it. True to his words, they were playing football in front of the Government Secondary School, Kubwa, which was a ghost of itself while the strike lasted. This place was where Abdul said he and his friend usually converged in the morning since 'there was no school'. Their passion for this was so strong that even while it was drizzling, they were busy doing what havs kept them busy in the past few weeks since their school has been under lock and key. Did I hear you scream under lock and key? This reality dawned on me the more when I went round some of these schools to see what has been happening since the teachers went on strike.

While Abdul and his friends were slugging it out on the field, Emmanuel Ewuche, a JSS 2 student of Junior Secondary School, Tungan-Maje, Abuja, said he was engaged in watching football matches on the television.

"As for me" he said, "while the strike lasted, I was watching the English Premiership. I had enough time to do that since there was no school. My best team is Manchester United, and my best player is Christiano Ronaldo. But whenever there was any football match at all on television, I watched until there was power outage. And when the light goes out, I run to put on the radio to listen to the analysis. Thank God, Brila FM was there to give all the updates. Because of that, I decided to buy a small radio set so that I can hear the latest happening in the sporting world."

Confirming what Ewuche said, his sister, who was near-by during the chat, said it was difficult for them to tune to any other station apart from football stations, because her brother was always in charge of the television remote control. But she regretted that it is strike actions of this nature that make students spend longer years in school and, at the end, some people in the labour market would label such students as being too old when they finally graduate.

Similarly, at an internet cafe in Suleja in Niger State, Bernard Madu, who is a staff there, confessed that during the strike, they noticed a high influx of students who came to browse in order to avoid the boredom of having to stay at home all-day-long. Chukudi Onyekachi was one of such children. He said while the strike lasted, he found time to go to the Cybercafé more often.

"Even though it involved spending money, at least I was keeping myself busy with that. I made friends with people around the world by chatting online. I remember chatting with a boy that said he was from India. He was surprised when I told him that all teachers of public schools in my country were on strike and that was why I was at home. He said in his country, he did not know when last their schools were closed as a result of a strike. When he said that, I was really embarrassed that my country, which claims it is the giant of Africa, is still experiencing strike actions in this 21st century, seeing that we are one of the leading oil-producing nations in the world, but India, which does not have oil, still has money to maintain its public schools. It is really a pity."He said. Chukudi was truly filled with derision over the strike that just ended.

Another girl, Jummai sani, said the time afforded her the opportunity to trade and make money which she can use to support herself when school resumes. Jummai is an SS 2 student in Government Secondary School, Lokoja, but lives in Nyanya with her mum. She said she usually helps her mum to trade during the holiday, but since the strike was prolonged, she used that opportunity to do brisk business.

Jummai was seen in the company of her brother too, who was doing the same thing-selling groundnut. They both had a tray of groundnut on their heads.

Monday, who is a student of Government Secondary School, Wuse said during the strike he watched films. "I had enough time to watch 'Second Chance' and 'Ultimate Search'. If my school was not on strike, my parents would not have allowed me spend so much time as I do with television." However, he said he was glad that his teachers went on strike, because he had ample time to make friends with his neighbours and, according to him, "gist well." But, above that, he thinks teachers are not paid well, so the strike was a necessary evil, saying, "If they don't go on strike, the government will not give them what they want."

So, while the strike was going on, how did parents cope with their children and wards? Mrs. Christiana Emeka is a mother of six children and a petty trader in Karimo market, Abuja. She said she did not find it easy coping with her children during the strike.

"When I tell them to do something, them go do another thing. Sometimes they no go do wetin I tell them to do. I come dey wonder sey na so teachers dey suffer with these children for school. Because me wey get six children, he dey hard for me to control them, talk more of teachers wey go get like 100 for their classes, how them they manage? That is why I think sey make government give wetin them they ask for, because teachers dey work pass anybody," Christiana pleaded.

Mama Endurance, as she chose to call herself, complained of her children's behaviour while the strike lasted, saying, "They were playing all through. Like this one (pointing at one of her sons who she called Joshua), I did not see him at home throughout yesterday. They hardly read their books. Because I have many boys, they always play football with their friends. And when they come home, it is to eat food. Maybe because they were at home most of the time, the amount of food they were consuming was too much. But that did not bother me as much as the academic setback that they had as a result of the strike. They were supposed to have finished their 3rd term exams and be on holiday like their counterparts in the private schools. Just then the strike started. Is the government saying we should not have confidence in their schools anymore? The government schools are becoming unstable, unlike the private schools. But the government must know that half of Nigerians cannot afford private schools for their children, which is why the government must make the welfare of teachers and the living conditions in these schools very conducive."

This woman seemed to be giving voice to one of the demands of the United Nations in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), demanding that the standard of education be raised in developing countries. The MDGs makes it clear that developing countries should achieve universal primary education by 2015. In other words, they should ensure that all boys and girls of school age complete a full course of primary education before that year.

Also, according to UNESCO, in order to prevent rancour between teachers and the government, "Particular importance should be attached to salary and the level of appreciation of the importance of teachers' functions as in other comparable professions."

The organisation also advises that teachers' salaries be calculated on an annual basis and should compete favourably with salaries paid in other occupations requiring similar or equivalent qualifications.

It further said: "Salary scales for teachers should be reviewed periodically to take into account such factors as a rise in the cost of living, increased productivity leading to higher standards of living in the country or a general upward movement in wage or salary levels."

So, where is Nigeria in this situation if the country's government can allow its children stay a whole month, doing nothing or, worse still, hawking and doing menial jobs when they ought to be in school, while the government and NUT debate over who should issue circular for payment of teachers salary?

This year, the Federal Government has allocated 13 per cent of its total budget to education, but this is still nothing near the minimum 26 per cent recommended by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

Consequently, investigat-ions have shown that if govern-ment at all levels and in all countries adhere to UNESCO's set standards on what teachers' salaries should look like and how they should be paid, incessant strikes are likely to become a thing of the past.

MDGs, if adhered to, are also means to a more productive life, to economic growth, and to further development .As it states "a healthier worker is a more productive worker. A better educated worker is a more productive worker."

However, Mr Onoja, a social analyst, has said: "It is pertinent to point out that as workers agitate for increase in wages, there is need for them to renew their commitment to work, because a nation with an unproductive workforce is a nation bound to fail in all aspects of development. I would also caution that salary increase alone without commensurate effort to improve the productive capacity of Nigerians can only worsen the situation with more money chasing fewer goods and services."