NUT asks Plateau Govt to provide motorcycles for teachers in rural communities

As the world marks workers day, teachers in Plateau have asked the state government to provide motorcycles for teachers and headmasters serving in rural communities.

Mr Ayuba Gana, NUT Chairman in the state, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Jos that the motorcycles would ease the movement of the teachers and enhance service delivery.

“The terrains in most rural communities are very bad; our members have always complained of how difficult it has been trying to access the schools.

“We believe that the motorcycles will boost productivity and attract more teachers to the hinterlands,” he said.

He commended the Plateau government for providing 17 Hilux vehicles to ease supervision and monitoring of teachers in rural areas, saying that the gesture should be extended to the teachers to boost punctuality.

The NUT boss decried the non-implementation of the N18,000 minimum wage for teachers, pointing out that other states complied since 2011.

“ Government promised to pay when the economy improves, but we have been waiting since 2011,” he said.

Gana expressed worry that basic instructional materials were not forthcoming, saying that the situation had affected the output of teachers.

“ In some schools, school registers, chalk, note books and other basic materials have not been supplied for more than three months. This is certainly not healthy,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mr Bulus Dabit, Director, National Orientation Agency in Plateau, has urged workers to rededicate themselves to their duties in spite of the prevailing economic hardship.

“The situation is hard on many Nigerians, but we should not be discouraged. We must adhere to the values of service and the oaths we took to serve our fatherland faithfully.

“Workers are the back bone of wealth creation in any society; government only ensures the enabling environment. We must all do our parts,” he said.