Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has said that 173 school teachers have so far been killed in the various deadly attacks carried out in the North East by members of Boko Haram.
The National President of the union, Michael Olukoya, who spoke on behalf of the union in Uyo, Cross River state today, explained that 170 teachers were killed in Borno while three were killed in Yobe state.
This is even as he lamented that more than three months after, abducted female students of the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok in Borno are yet to be brought back by the government.
The NUT president called on the Federal Government to do everything possible to free the abducted schoolgirls and save them from the psychological trauma.
“Government should appropriately police the school environment for the security of pupils and teachers and create conducive learning environment for quality education delivery,” Olukoya said.
He urged governments at all levels to provide schools within their jurisdiction with perimeter fencing and security personnel at all times.
The conference, according to him, had called on the Federal Ministry of Education to incorporate the crèche system into the national educational policy and practice in Nigeria.
He emphasised that the issue of early childhood education should be given top priority in the country.
Olukoya complained of non-payment of 27.5 per cent teachers salary scale (TSS) allowance to teachers in unity schools.
He said that teachers in the unity schools would soon embark on strike, adding that all teachers nationwide would embark on sympathy-strike if the situation persists.
The conference was its fifth quadrennial meeting with the theme, “Changing Nigeria’s fortune through quality teachers.” [myad]
