The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Edo State
chapter, has described as unacceptable the plans by the state Universal Basic
Education Board (SUBEB) to embark on competency test for headteachers and
prospective headteachers in public primary schools in the state.
While rejecting the proposal, the state NUT in a
statement issued on Tuesday which was jointly signed by the state Chairman, Pius
Okhueleigbe, and Assistant Secretary-General, Mike Itua, said the union would
resist any attempt by the Edo SUBEB to post junior officers to head schools
over their colleagues.
The union called on well-meaning citizens of the
state to prevail on the leadership of SUBEB to desist from such move because “it
is aimed at inflicting injuries on the excellent relationship that exist
between the state government and teachers in the state.”
The Edo NUT in its resolution at the end of an the enlarged meeting asked all public primary schools substantive heads, acting
heads and teachers to disregard any form of threat either from SUBEB
leadership, agents and privies of the board.
According to the union, "All our members
should brace up and be prepared for further action which may be deemed
necessary and directed by the union should the relevant government board and
agent refuse to positively address the issues raised in this communiqué not
later than September 5, 2019. School head and acting heads are advised to
continue to carry out their lawful assignments and must not handover to anybody
as illegally directed by SUBEB.
"The union would resist any attempt by Edo
SUBEB to post junior officers to head schools over and above their colleagues
as headship should be strictly on seniority."
The teachers noted that the leadership of Edo SUBEB
has assumed the dimension of dictatorship and a sole administrator veiled with
brazen intellectual and managerial arrogance; gross insensitivity to the plight
of teachers, which now uses intimidation as a weapon to coerce teachers to do
its biddings.
It said: 'SUBEB under the leadership of Dr. Joan
Oviawe has surreptitiously devised a competency test mechanism for the
determination of who becomes a head of school in the state in contravention of
an existing legal suit No. NICN/AK/10/2014 in the case of Nigeria Union of
Teachers vs Edo State Government instituted at the National Industrial Court in
Enugu; and the established service practice of school ‘Headship by Seniority’."
NUT said the primary school teachers and their
heads are still responsible for the provision of instructional materials like
chalk, markers, diaries and others in the day-to-day teaching and learning process
in all public primary schools in the state in spite of the fact that the
executive chairman of SUBEB announced the approval of N60 million as termly subvention
to schools since April of which no dime has been released to schools till now.
It added that by denying primary school teachers in
Oredo and Uhunmwode Local Government Areas of the payment of their 2013 to 2015
promotion arrears, Edo SUBEB has refused to live up to one of its
responsibilities.
Meanwhile, the Association of Primary School Head
Teachers of Nigeria (AOPSHON) has advised the state SUBEB not to continue with
the planned exercise in order to allow the prevailing peace in the education
sector to continue to thrive.
The association in a statement jointly signed by
its Chairman, Fidis Oigbochie, and Secretary, Aigberomwan Agho, said it remained
resolute with the earlier decisions of the state wing executive council of NUT.
"We wish to inform all primary school teachers
and head teachers in Edo State that the proposed exercise is a mischief-making
one and an affront on the teaching profession in our state as well as a ploy to
reintroduce competency test in education sector," it said.
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