The Federal Capital Territory Universal Basic Education has said it is not owing FCT teachers’ salaries to make them embark on indefinite strike, that the area councils chairmen should be blamed for the primary school teachers’ strike.
Executive Chairman, FCT UBE Board, Dr. Alhassan Sule, who made this known in a press briefing in respect to the primary school teachers’ strike Wednesday, said the Board was surprised to receive a letter from the NUT secretariat with the information that they gave a directive to all teachers in the primary sector not to resume on Wednesday.
He said the FCT Administration has been doing its best for teachers, explaining that, in December 2021, all teachers under the payroll of the FCT Administration were paid, and that the Board is not owing any teacher salary.
Sule further explained that at the local government level, they were able to implement promotions, but the issue of arrears became a problem.
“I could remember that in December, NUT and the local government had an agreement to suspend their strike based on the agreement that they are going to have a round table to discuss the template on how they are going to implement the arrears.
“I believe that what the area council did by not inviting the NUT to a round table discussion is one of the reasons that they decided to go back to strike,” he said.
Sule stressed that as far as FCT teachers’ welfare is concerned, the FCT Administration does not play with it. “They have been paid all promotion arrears as far as FCT education is concerned. But that of local government has to do with friction between the LEA secretaries and their chairmen when it has to do with the employment of teachers.”
FCT NUT chairman, Comrade Stephen Knabayi, while speaking during the briefing, also explained that as far as NUT is concerned, the payment of teachers’ salaries in LEA schools, has been prompt and regular. “We do not have any issue with that as far as NUT is concerned,” he said.
