The Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) has urged the federal government to reverse its decision to reopen schools as such a step is not safe for both teachers and students.
Talkglitz.com had earlier reported that the Federal Government approved the reopening of schools for graduating classes which comprises Primary 6, JSS3 and SSS3 students.
Reacting on the FG’s order, Secretary-General of the NUT, Mike Ene, said teachers could not resume because they don’t want to die.
He said: “I don’t know who is going to use his own child as a guinea pig. It is only those who are alive that can speak of keeping hope alive. How can we resume? Does anybody want to die?”
Mr Ene said if the government wanted teachers to resume, they should be provided with necessary materials and incentives.
The NUT is saying that the government has not assured us properly to go back to school. Has the NCDC (Nigeria Centre for Disease Control) moved around to make sure that the isolation centres are provided in schools? What measures have they told us have been provided for teachers to come back?
“We are being taken for granted. Teachers are parents and human beings too and their children don’t want to lose them out of carelessness. We are ready. We are not afraid to teach. But the government has not shown commitment for us to go back to school. All what the government is doing is mere politics.
“When you talk of guidelines, we have passed the stage of talking without actions. I just read a text from a certain school asking my daughter who is going to take final exams to come back. They are demanding sanitisers, face marks and other consumables, thereby throwing back the burden to parents who have already been overstretched with feeding their children since they have been at home.
“But the government has reneged on what it should do. In a class of 60, 40 or 70 pupils, you’re talking of physical and social distancing. Can a teacher take a class from 8 am to 2 pm, 2 pm to 5 pm and 5 pm to 10 pm? What is the PPE that government has given to teachers?
“If a teacher is going to face many pupils in a class, and has no PPE, how will the teacher function or they expect him to use his meagre salary? I don’t know if the government is aware that as of today so many states and local governments are owing teachers.”
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