By Jacinta Nwachukwu
The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has said government at all levels has relegated teaching, describing it as the most relegated profession in the country.
The National President of NUT, Comrade Audu Amba, expressed this concern in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja.
“Teachers in Nigeria are the most relegated set of people. While every professional is given the necessary attention by the government, teachers are not, most especially the primary school teachers.
“As we are right now in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the primary school teachers have been on strike for so many months.
“I think this should be the fourth time they have gone on strike because of N70,000 minimum wage which has been implemented for virtually all other civil servants in the FCT.
“While this relegation is so visible, the government will sit down there and say that they have interest in education. It is laughable,” he said.
Amba said that it is ironic that those at the helm of affairs dictating the fate of teachers and making them less important, were once taught by teachers.
“Even within the local government system, where primary schools draw their salaries, they pay their main workers and exclude primary school teachers.
“Where on earth is such a thing done? And you expect teachers to continue to be patient. You expect teachers to continue to be quiet?
“We go to the same market, belong to the same community, pay the same house rent, go to the same hospital, just like any other Nigerians.
“Whatever anyone has become today in this country, he or she was once taught by teachers, and that is the same profession we are now looking down on.
“It is disheartening that we allow teachers to go on strike, especially in the FCT, the seat of power,” he said.
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