L
LequteMan
Guest
Academic activities in the FCT junior and senior secondary schools were on Thursday paralysed following an indefinite strike embarked upon by FCT chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT).
The union called for the strike because the FCT Minister, Alhaji Bala Mohammed directed that payment of the salaries of some teachers be suspended.
Mohammed had given the directive following failure of the teachers to present their original certificates during a screening conducted by FCT Education Board.
Students reportedly returned home after spending several hours in schools without academic activities.
A student of Government Senior Secondary School, Tundun Wada, said many students were not informed of the strike at the close of school on Wednesday.
“We are not happy that we are roaming around the school premises without lessons.
“I got to know about the strike this morning after arriving at school to discover that teachers were not around to commence academic activities for the day,” he said.
Mrs Ujunwa Ike, a parent, expressed dissatisfaction over the strike, adding that the suspension of the salaries was not fair.
“This strike is not in the interest of the Nigerian education system, considering what is happening in the nation’s universities.
“My appeal to relevant authorities is to continue the payment of salaries to the affected teachers while arrangement is being made to conduct another screening to authenticate the earlier one.
However, the Deputy Chairman of the NUT, Mallam Yusuf Bello told NAN that the strike had been put on hold following the intervention of the FCT Minister that the affected teachers would be paid within seven days.
“We are suspending the strike because the minister has promised to pay the 2,600 teachers and also promised to release the result of 2012 promotion and will also conduct the 2013 promotion,'' Bello said. (NAN).