This, no doubt, will cool the nerves of school-teachers nationwide who are always apprehensive of official government proclamations shutting down schools at the slightest whiff because of the Coronavirus pandemic rage.
This is because even before the advent of the Coronavirus, teaching in Nigeria had always been a living hell. And since the nation fell to the firepower of the globally ravaging virus in the education sector in March 2020, the collective penury of teachers have grown in leaps and bounds, investigations show.
Nigerian teachers usually wait for ‘Teachers Day’ every October 5 before listing the pains they go through in living and tasking. And the situation appears to be getting more scary, now that teachers are being ‘snared’ by other threats, such as those of ‘technology take-over’, ‘registration’, as well as poor and erratic remuneration, even with the impact of the deadly virus still hovering the land.
Corona has really compounded the woes of teachers, especially those at the lower levels of education, particularly those often classified as ‘suburban’ and ‘inner neighbourhood schools’.
This situation has arisen from serial, unpredictable closure of schools for public health reasons, which, it would appear, have led to teachers bearing the brunt of loss of income, perhaps more than other professionals in their fields.
Investigations by ThisNigeria show a general trend of hardship and regret in schools nationwide, occasioned by roller-coaster government policies to contain an epidemic.
The fear of epidemic had triggered a wave of shutdowns in schools, even when those in the other sectors appeared to have the grace to ‘close their gaps’.
The problem
Schools, especially in critical states like Lagos in Nigeria have hardly been stable since the outset of the Coronavirus rage a year ago. And that translates to virtually no means of income for most teachers, due to dearth of tuition and other fees.
While the interruptions raged, fancy projects were flown in the embattled educational sector about ‘teaching robotics’ and ‘transiting into new methods of teaching’ in schools, even where it was glaring that the nation was grossly unprepared for that, and that teachers could suffer the more. So, teachers continued to be relegated to the background.
When the Federal Ministry of Education approved the closure of schools and educational institutions nationwide on March 23rd, 2020, as a response to the pandemic, it opened further floodgates for shutdowns in states which started ‘open-and-close’ sessions.
The initial closure lasted for more than six months, and halted teaching and learning across the country.
Poor pay
Jude Oyewusi, a director of education, notes that, even before Coronavirus came on board, the issue of salary payment had been a key factor in the pauperisation of teachers in the country.
Though he was speaking largely on the plight of the experience of public school teachers, on the occasion of last year’s ‘Teacher’s Day’ celebrations, he said, ‘’As at now, apart from the fact that salaries paid to teachers in Nigeria are grossly inadequate and always in contention, many states still fail to live up to expectation even in the payment of the stipends to teachers.’’
According to him, ‘’Many months in salary arrears are being owed and worse still there is virtually no hope about when such debts will be paid. How some state governments expect teachers to put in excellent discharge of their functions on hungry stomachs is difficult to understand.
‘’Aside from the issue of salaries, all state governments also ought to put in place adequate welfare packages that can make teachers really happy and proud of their profession.’’
‘’Teachers in Nigeria are relegated to the background and no one appears to bother about their plight. Teachers face so much hard time and live an entire life full of struggles, especially in states where salaries are not paid regularly.
‘’While many, especially those in the urban centres, face the problem of accommodation and most times are forced to live in the remotest part of the city where house rents are low, they however face the problem of transportation as they have to travel long distances to their schools and this somehow affects their general output.’’
Private schools
The issue of Coronavirus and the new experience in poor remuneration, is more pronounced in the private schools where there is little or no regulation. In a Facebook posting in October 2019, the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN) stated that ‘’Nigerian teachers are reportedly suffering and lacked transport fare to work’’.
When later the government put in place COVID-19 guidelines by announcing a phased reopening of schools, most states cancelled the whole third term. Private schools could not meet their obligations to teachers and parents could not pay school fees.
Many school owners who had taken loans could not service them and moves by the government to save the sub-sector by offering support to private schools with intervention funds, were not successful.
Because of Corona, many private schools switched to online learning and most public schools could not continue learning as they were not prepared. Some states, however, later introduced radio and television teaching programmes.
Candidates for National Common Entrance Examination (NCEE), Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) and National Examination Council (NECO) had to deal with the uncertainty of schedules for their exams. After much pressure from many quarters, government, putting in place COVID-19 guidelines, announced a phased reopening of schools, while most states cancelled the third term.
Private schools could not meet their obligations to teachers, parents could not pay school fees, while many school owners who had taken loans could not service them. To save the sub-sector, government offered to support private schools with intervention funds, though not much has been done in this regard.
While efforts were on to contain the pandemic, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) reported that about 60.2 million teachers and 1.37 billion students, representing more than three out of four children and youth worldwide were out of the classroom due to the coronavirus pandemic. The body said school closures globally have impacted nearly 80 per cent of world’s student population.
Our experiences:
Some teachers told ThisNigeria some of the harrowing experiences they have undergone following the incessant closure and opening of schools.
They also spoke about how the issue has affected their lives, how they are they coping generally and the really distressing trend of unpaid salaries during such closures.
Bright Etim, mom of one: ‘They said, no tuition, no pay’
‘’My name is Bright Etim. I am a teacher at a private school at New Karu, Nasarawa State, the nearest local government to Nigeria’s Federal Capital City (FCT), Abuja.
‘’I was not paid salaries during the Covid-19 lockdown. My employers said since the students didn’t pay their tuition fees, there is no way they could pay. I am a single mother of one child.
‘’I was surviving on home lessons organised in the neighbourhood. It was difficult starting initially since parents were afraid of the novel Covid-19. They were very sceptical in allowing their wards/children to attend the extra-mural classes, but I gave them assurances that their wards/children were safe.
“I was able to garner over 50 students, but now, I am thinking of having my own private school. It was a blessing in disguise for me.“
‘’The problem am having now is funding. I applied to the Federal Government palliatives via the Central Bank, but I am yet to receive any reply. Even now that we are back to work since late last year, I am being owed two months’ salaries. It is the lessons I organise that is sustaining me and my kid.“
Susan Peters: teacher, farmer: ‘We barely make the ends meet’
I am Susan Arinola Peters. I teach in a public secondary school in the FCT, Abuja. Though the government paid my salaries during and after the lockdown, increase in food prices and those of the essentials used to mess up my income. I barely make the ends meet. I have to ensure that my husband and I engage in farming. We have a vegetable farm that we eat and sell from. The effects of the lockdown and the economy recession is really telling all over. The students are physically and psychologically affected. Sometimes, they are not concentrating in the class. We should learn to live with the new normal. It should build our virtual leaning system. The e-learning training must be given more to teachers to ensure effective passing of learning to the students that cannot attend schools.“
Chris Ngibru, School administrator: ‘We cannot continue to shut down forever’
The Principal of Premier International College, Abuja said: ‘’Compliance is to be blamed for the prolonged suffering of teachers on the Coronavirus matter. The first wave taught us a lesson; it was not so rosy. Then the second wave came; we cannot continue to lockup for ever , we have to sensitize the parents on the need to follow COVID-19 protocols and to teach their children also. We should adapt to the new normal. It is a lesson and we should learn.“
Mrs Enewan Charles, Public primary school teacher: ‘I sympathise with private school teachers’
The disruptive education timetable has negatively affected both teachers, students and proprietors of privately-owned schools. In this state, the government has been up to date in the payment of salaries, but the denial of leave grants and promotion arrears for about eight years have been an administrative eyesore. The students are often confused with the fluctuating and lopsided terminal periods of school sessions, but they know that the culprit is Coronavirus. My sympathy goes to teachers and other workers in privately owned schools who were not paid for months because schools were not in session. In spite of the radio classes organised by the state government for some category of students, it was a trying period for all of them. But, above all, it was, and it still is, a trying period for education in Nigeria.
Imaobong Peter, Private school worker: ‘Teachers get stressed preparing for lessons’
The onslaught of corona virus has really affected school operations in all aspects. Students are finding it difficult to cope, especially when lessons meant for three months are compressed into three weeks. The teachers too are getting stressed in preparation for lessons and it is more stressful when students seemingly lose interest because of learning fatigue. Though most private schools started paying their staff from September 2020, it was a very rough period in one’s life.
Margaret Okoro, Teacher: ‘Wish the times would not come again’
It was really a bad time. We had trouble coping. In fact, I had to leave my mother whom I was staying with, for my father’s place at ijede, Lagos, even though we had not been on talking terms for long. The children were not studying at all. The teachers were the ones bearing the brunt of the whole mess. We all hope it would get better and they will not shut down the schools any more. Ah, for months, no income! I don’t wish it for my enemy.
Freda Okojie, Nursery school teacher: ‘Had to look for a better way of survival’
I was only making up as I became an emergency liquor seller. As a teacher, I know that was not ethical, but there was nothing we could do. I was also selling some food items at the local market to make up.
Abuja traders lament exploitation by environmental officials
“I am getting fed up with life in Abuja. I say so because I am increasing finding it difficult to cater to the immediate needs of my family. I sell fruits at the city centre here but some task force officials belonging to the Abuja Environmental Protections Agency will not let some of us be. These officials are making Abuja look like a hostile city for us.“Of late, carrying out this small business has become a herculean task for me following the frequent harassment I receive from members of the task force. It is either these officials forcibly seize my goods or they will compel me to part with some money. It is like a routine now.” The following remarks are from no other person than Mrs. Cordelia Ufoma, who sells banana and groundnut at Wuse 2.The 30-year-old mother of two is not alone in this lamentation. Indeed, investigations by ThisNigeria show that many other traders in the nation’s capital are not comfortable with the operations of members of the task force. Some members of the task force, the traders allege, engage in illicit collections of levies and bribe. They also claim that the activities of these officials have resulted in the ‘sudden increase’ in illegal shops, street trading and the general filth in the FCT.
Officials of the task force, the traders further allege, raid make-shift shops and other business outlets not with the intention of prosecuting or stopping them from the ‘illegal trading’ but for collecting bribe, ostensibly to line their pockets.
Ufoma, who further spoke on this, insisted that the task force officials see traders as money-making machines, especially as whatever they collected from them goes straight to their personal pockets.
Another trader, who only gave her name as Mrs. Evelyn, accused the task force officials of harassment and exploitation.
She said, “I pay N1,000 daily in order that I can stay where I am. They will come here and forcibly carry our items, including bottled groundnut and banana. After carrying them, they will not return them. There are lots of my basins that I used in carrying some of these items that are with them. These people are heartless. They lack human feelings in them. No matter how long you cry, these people will not release your seized items.”
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Evelyn also alleged that they were discriminatory in their operations. She lamented, “They claim that they use the items as a lunch for their animals. But, whenever they seize items belonging to Hausa people, they endeavour return them because they speak the same language. It is shocking and terrifying to watch the way they treat some of us that do not speak their language. They do not like to return our own items. I do not know the why. It is sheer wickedness. Some of their members do come and collect money from us. Some come in the morning while another group comes in the evening. If you put together what we pay them, it will turn out to be something reasonable.” Noting that the operations of the task force were getting out of hand, Evelyn appealed to the FCT authorities to look into their demands.
She added, “They have turned us into money-making machine. We have families and children. I do not think what they are doing to us is in any way supported by law. They are just telling us that we should go and steal or rob to support our families. What we are doing is just our little contributions to support our families and ensure that our children go to school. Some of our husbands are not doing anything and even the salaries of those of them working are small. So, I urge the government to investigate this issue before it turns to something else.”
A footwear seller known as Mr. Anthony, also frowned on the incessant harassment even as he tasked the FCT leadership to provide them with a better trading space.
According to him, it is only a better accommodation that will save them from the daily harassment.
He said, “What we face is better imagined than felt. Members of this agency operate without check and their activities reflect the rot confronting the country.
“We are paying them every month, yet they won’t allow us to have peace of mind. I pay N1,000 every day, but these officials will still not allow us to have rest. When they seize our goods, we pay heavily to get them back and sometimes, we lose these items. We do not know if the government is aware of this money. Or how they remit it? We are seriously at a crossroads because we do not know who to talk to.
“Can you imagine that in these hard times, after making my daily payment, these people still come and seize my goods.
Government should help us by creating space where we can be together to sell our products. After doing that, whoever is caught flouting the rules should be dealt with severely. We can be in one place and still sell our markets. It will be good for us and the environment will be safer for everyone.”
Responding to the allegations, the Head, Information and Outreach, Abuja Environmental Protection Board, Mrs. Janet Peni, said the board does not tolerate indiscipline. She also decried the role of impersonators, saying that they are giving the board a bad name.
She explained, “Well, I cannot categorically say they are not our staff. All I can say is that we have staff that we have already recruited as casual staff as enforcement officers that go around the city to make sure street traders and hawkers are taken off the streets. Beggars, destitute and the rest constituting nuisance and showed the way out.
“Whenever you come across them, tell us because our members of staff wear Navy blue. They also have special identification number on their sleeves. So, when you see them misbehaving, call and alert us. When you do that, then we can easily trace the culprit.
“But more importantly, we are always talking to our enforcement officers. Every morning before they depart for assignment, we assemble them and talk to them. I suspect the accused in this case are not members of our staff. But, when we catch you as our staff doing that, we will discipline you.
Why, because street hawking is prohibited. It is not allowed at all. It is part of our function to take them out of the city. So, we cannot indulge in that. And if anyone is found wanting, I can assure you that the Director, Dr. Abubakar Hassan, who is a no-nonsense man, will dismiss the person. I do not have any doubt about that.”
She also dismissed the allegation that the board’s officials were contributing to the disruption of the city’s masterplan. She noted, “I do not think they can give anyone permission to do that because Abuja has a master plan, and everything has its own place where shops and markets are supposed to be well mapped out. So, that should not be our main work. It is not part of our functions to give out shops. That should be for development control.
