By: Felix Ikpotor
Public primary school teachers in Rivers State on Thursday, embarked on a street protest in Port Harcourt to resist alleged plans to transfer the management of the schools to local government authorities.
The demonstration by the aggrieved teachers took the form of a carnival, with the compliment of a music band, as they marched to the Government House and the State House of Assembly.
The protesting teachers were led by the State Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, Sir, Lucky Nkpongene, who explained that the union was not against local government autonomy.
Nkpongene while addressing journalists, maintained that the management of primary schools should remain within the state government.
“The former administration understood what it meant to have Local government council pay teachers salaries. It was a serious challenge for them. Teachers suffered a lot during that era. We have passed that stage and we don’t intend to go back there.
“Local government have a lot of challenges already,” he said.
He also recalled that the issue on who should control primary schools has been resolved by the Supreme Court in 2012.
The protesters who blocked the gate of the assembly complex for over forty minutes while the house was sitting, later left as no member of the assembly came out to meet them.
