ONITSHA — THE Nigerian union of Teachers (NUT), Anambra State chapter yesterday cautioned Governor, Dr Chris Ngige against plans by his administration to handover some secondary schools in the area to missionaries.The state Chairman of the Union, Comrade Anthony Ugozor who spoke exclusively with the Vanguard said NUT would resist any attempt by the state government to handover schools to a private body.This is coming on the heels of governor Ngige’s announcement at a press conference in Awka that six schools had already been handed over to missionaries.
”If government rushes to hand over schools to missions without due consultation with NUT, that attempt will definitely fail. There has not been any dialogue on the issue with NUT and we are going to resist it squarely, “he warned, “we are not aware that government has handed over schools to private individuals. What government said on the radio and television was that there was a proposal to handover two secondary schools from each of the three Senatorial zones in the state. We have not been consulted,” he added.
He said the union had severally advised government against the plan without consultation with its national body because of its implications.Ugozor argued that the handover of schools to missions would not help the promotion of education in the country, saying that schools were handed over to private individuals after the civil war because some parents could not pay the school fees of their wards.According to him, the planned handover would limit the number of students enrolment in schools beacuse of exorbitant fees that would be charged by the by the missions.He accused the state governemnt of playing politics with education in the area, saying that, “if government meant well, it would have negotiated with NUT.”
He expressed displeasure over arrears of March and April salaries owed secondary school teachers as well as their denial of promotion from 2000 and 2002.He said primary school teachers were not happy over their statutory entitlements owed them, adding that most of them who were promoted in 2001 have not recieved any allowance while they are due for promotion in 2004.He called on the state government to implement the annual incremental credit of teachers denied them in July and August 2002.
