The Oyo State chapter of the Nigerian Union of Teachers, NUT, on Monday said examination questions for pupils were written on blackboards because the state government had yet to give primary schools across the state running grants.
The union said primary schools had not received grants for two consecutive terms. It added that secondary schools had not received grants for the just concluded first term and that they were paid half of the grants due to them for the previous term.
This development, the union said necessitated the writing of examination questions on the board for pupils during their first term examination.
The union, which spoke through the National Editor of its internal journal, Comrade Seye Obadina, on a radio programme in Ibadan, the state capital, urged the state government to execute its free education policy.
Reacting to the rumour that examination questions were written on the board for pupils, the NUT scribe said, “It is true. The primary schools have yet to be paid for the second term of last session and for the just concluded first term. You will recall that the third term was cancelled because of coronavirus.
“As for the secondary schools, they were paid half for the last term and have yet to be paid for the just concluded term. The debt incurred by the heads of schools for last term has yet to be settled. The teachers had to write the questions on the board in protest.
“I need to make some clarifications. It is the responsibility of the local government to pay primary schools. Maybe the challenges confronting the local government are causing the delay in the payment.
“I must tell you this government is doing its best. I am a national officer of NUT, I can tell you that if you compare Oyo State with other states, (you will realise that) Governor Seyi Makinde is really trying. We are trying to see the governor because once we have an audience with him, we know this problem will be resolved.”
When asked if the NUT has held any meeting with the state government officials on the matter, he said, “We have met with the commissioner for education, the head of service and SUBEB (State Universal Basic Education Board) chairman.”
Amidst the surge in coronavirus cases across the world, Obadina said it was not advisable to close schools in the state as necessary measures were already in place to check the spread of the virus.
