David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka
The Chairman, Anambra State Chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Ifeanyi Ofodile, has lamented the shabby treatment of teachers by the state government.
He said teachers were discriminated against in the area of promotion, trainings and other incentives accruing to other workers.
Ofodile expressed concern that promotions are not evenly conducted in the state civil service, just as he observed that those in the ministries, departments, parastatals and agencies of government are promoted as and when due, but their counterparts in the teaching profession are marginalised and discriminated against.
Briefing journalists at the Teachers’ House in Awka, he disclosed that promotions have not been regular in the teaching sector since 2014, adding that some promotion interviews have been concluded while some have not been scheduled thereby resulting to stagnation in teachers’ wellbeing.
He said attempts to reach Governor Willie Obiano to relate to him have been stalled by bureaucracy in government. He however thanked the Obiano administration for approving special pay for teachers in rural communities especially those serving in flood-prone areas.
He also thanked the governor for providing water ambulances, as well as make-shift camps for people in the riverine communities in a bid to ensure access to quality and functional education for those in the hinterlands.
“We thank him for this, but we seek to let him know that teachers are the only set of workers that have never received bags of rice as Christmas gifts from government since December 2014. Every public and civil servant in Anambra State receives a bag of rice from the state at such occasion.”
