The plight of Primary School Teachers and Pupils in Benue

OMULA EMMANUEL

When your take home cannot take you home it becomes a problem, it becomes a bigger problem when the take home is not coming when it ought to. This is the plight of primary school teachers in the 23 local government areas of Benue State. 
​Primary school teachers in Benue State as at November 2017 are being owed eleventh month salary. A teacher Mr. Bernard said the previous administration owes teachers six months and the current administration owes them 5 months, put together, it will amount to eleven months. Some of these teachers go to school every day, the pay transport fare and eat while in school, besides these they have other needs to attend to yet they are being owed eleven months. 
​A primary school teacher who does not want his name mentioned said, he survive from the proceed from his wife’s little business. According to him sometimes they eat just once in a day and sometimes they would just “drink garri” and go to bed. According to him since he joined the profession about 20 years ago he has never experienced this. The situation is so bad that a good number of teachers cannot afford to pay their complete house rent to their landlords. 
​Some of the teachers said they have to engage in farming so as to be able to survive. They have to go to farm after school, and always use the Friday which was usually work free day to work on their farms. One o the teachers who did not want his name mentioned said   government has  implemented fully the 18% for other categories of workers but not primary school teachers. This administration did try to implement the 18% for primary school teacher. A teacher who spoke to us in confidence said APC administration tried to implement the 18% but not fully, he said what was implement was about 17% .
​Is not only the teachers that are affected the pupils too are affected. Some teachers will go to school and teach a topic or two, when you ask they will say, “that is how far my strength can carry me, I can’t exhaust all my energy and then go home on an empty stomach”. 
​They pupils are in a way affected because they are not taught what they are supposed to be taught. Some teachers play truancy and the head teacher cannot confidently question them because they would complain of nothing having transport fare. Sometimes teachers vent their anger and frustration on the innocent pupils that have nothing to do with the salary owed the teacher. This is the plight of primary school teachers and pupils in Benue State, caused by irregular payment of salary. 
​Another teacher says the only way he has to survive was for his children to go hawking, because he has no farm and his  wife’s business is not flourishing like it used to. The children have to go and hawk after school, sometimes the children have to miss school so as to go and hawk for the family to survive. Technically speaking the children have become bread winners. 

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