The Nigeria Union of Teachers has called on the House of Representatives to beam its searchlight on private schools that indulge in unfair labour practices.
The appeal came as it warned the Federal Government against employing unprofessional teachers in its planned recruitment exercise.
President Muhammadu Buhari had, while presenting the 2016 budget to the National Assembly last year, said that his administration would recruit 500, 000 teachers in 2016.
The NUT President, Mr. Michael Alogba-Olukoya, made the appeal during the association’s National Solemn Assembly and Prayers in Abuja.
According to him, since the lawmakers have threatened to picket Asian companies over their harsh anti-labour policies, they should first picket private schools in the country to check their alleged abuse of human rights.
Alogba-Olukoya said, “The House of Representatives should picket private schools which don’t pay minimum wage and do not respect our labour laws, be they locally owned or owned by foreigners. The way they treat graduates in private schools is very disappointing.
“There is no future, no stability, no salaries, and pensions in many of these schools. You cannot even question the owners on something that should ordinarily be an interaction. We cannot just sit down here and believe that things are working well. We say enough of this modern day slavery in our private schools.
“That was why we were very happy when members of the House said they want to check the abuses of Lebanese and Indian employers. Charity begins at home. There is nobody in Nigeria who has ruled this country in the past that is not a school proprietor. Even religious leaders who came in the name of evangelism are university owners.”
Alogba-Olukoya, who also cautioned against employing unprofessional teachers in the planned recruitment, urged the Federal Government not to turn the exercise into a forum to settle political friends.
He said, “What we are saying is that they shouldn’t just sacrifice the employment of 500,000 teachers on the altar of quality teaching. Their background and pedigree is not the pedagogy of teaching. They do not know and may not be able to add value.
“We don’t want to engage government on other issues, but as an advice, we want the government of President Muhammadu Buhari who has zero tolerance for corruption not to allow politicians to hijack the recruitment service to compensate their political cronies. What I am saying is that engineers, architects, lawyers and doctors can’t make good teachers in our classrooms.”
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