26th August, 2014
The Unity Colleges Wing of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has appealed to the Federal Government to implement the 27.5 per cent peculiarity allowance of its members.
Emeka Okonta, the association’s Coordinator, told NAN in Abuja on Tuesday that the teachers were being denied of this and other allowances such as core science and mathematics teachers’ allowance, house master and house mistress allowance as stipulated in the Civil Service book.
According to Okonta, unlike teachers, nurses who work as civil servants outside the hospital environment received whatever benefits paid to their colleagues.
Okonta stressed that teacher’s welfare was paramount to the development of the education sector.
“When a teacher’s salary cannot take him home, it is not going to be easy for that teacher to put in his best. If you are asking a teacher to manage, he cannot improvise.
“When we were employed, we saw our money being deducted under the Association of Senior Civil Servants. Why we became jittery about the whole thing was that in 2010, the Federal Government said it was going to give what was called 13th month to civil servants.
“As civil servants, we were happy, but when it was approved, we were excluded, and upon inquiry, we were told that as teachers, we would not benefit from the 13th month.”
He also said that teachers were denied the payment of peculiarity allowance, when it was approved on grounds that they were civil servants.
Okonta said it was a different situation for people in other professions who work as civil servants.
“From what I am seeing now, teachers are not putting in their best and yet people are crying about mass failure.
“They are not putting in their best because they are not happy.’’
He, therefore, urged the governments to evolve measures that would motivate teachers put in their best.
The coordinator also urged the Federal Government to ensure the payment of all allowances due to teachers in the unity schools.