27th October, 2016
Gov. Ben Ayade of Cross River has approved the transfer of pay points of primary school teachers from the Ministry of Local Government Affairs to the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).
The state Chairman of SUBEB, Dr. Stephen Odey, disclosed this at a meeting of the board with stakeholders in Igoli, Ogoja Local Government Area the state on Thursday.
According to Odey, the measure is part of government’s commitment to ensure prompt and effective system of payment of salaries of primary school teachers.
He said the measure was also aimed at checking the existence of ghost teachers on the nominal roll.
The SUBEB boss directed all head teachers to submit the nominal roll of their teachers to the board for implementation of the directive.
He said that Ayade’s administration regarded education as important to societal development and remained very passionate about education issues particularly teachers who are key drivers of the sector.
“With the step we are going to take now, I assure you that the issue of non-payment of salaries will be addressed.
“I believe that it is only when we work together that we can achieve this dream’’, Odey said.
He, however, contended that the state government’s resolve to improve its education system would only accommodate those who are ready to drive the process.
He said: “A lot of activities will be taking place between now and December in terms of projects, buildings, plastic furniture.
“I am going to flood the state with plastic tables and chairs, and I do not want to see any of our pupils sitting on the floor to learn.
“In the next one month, every school in Cross River state will be touched. I have placed an order for more than 45,000 plastic chairs and every school within each local government will be touched.
“Any SUBEB Staff that visits your school either on inspection, promotion interview and so on, and demand for one naira should be reported to me immediately.’’
Director of Administration, Mr Emmanuel Ojong, said the meeting cuts across the three senatorial districts of the state designed to find solutions to current challenges facing the teachers.
“Since the inception of this board, one of its aims has been to ensure that the welfare of our teachers is given a paramount place in all our dealings.
“The executive chairman who is very committed to this cause has been fighting all through to ensure that teachers’ welfare in the state are met at all costs.
“We are aware that the payment of our teachers’ salaries has had hiccups in the recent past and government is not sleeping, it is doing everything to correct it.
“The style of administration of this board is to always interface with all stakeholders that make up the primary and junior secondary school education.
“We do this to ensure that we get their problems, see how they can be handled and proffer solutions on how to improve our basic education sector and take it to the next level’’, he said.
Chairman of Nigerian Union of Teachers in the state, Mr Eyo-Nsa Itam, said the union had drawn attention to the non-payment of teachers for some months.
He thanked the governor for stepping in to salvage the situation and assured of the cooperation of teachers.
Itam said: “we were not on strike, we only told the teachers to remain at home so as not to take their frustrations out on the pupils.
“The working condition of the teacher is the learning condition of the child.’’
Head teachers, education secretaries and the leadership of the NUT attended the meeting held at Government Secondary School, Igoli.