“I am hungry and tired. Our patience has been over stretched. I can’t continue to borrow money to sustain my family even when I am working”. The joy that once greeted the engagement of volunteer teachers in Enugu state has given way to the above words of despair from one of them, Mr. Mathew Ugwu, a 67-year-old volunteer teacher in the state.
Most of the volunteer teachers who were posted to public primary schools in the state have bid goodbye to the system, throwing fresh challenges of insufficient teachers in the state.
In September, 2011, the Enugu State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Chuks Ugwuoke, had after the State Executive Council Meeting announced that two thousand volunteer teachers would be posted to primary schools in the state.
According to Ugwuoke, teachers to be used for the short-term engagement teaching service include “retired but not tired” teachers and others who qualified as professional teachers in the state, on monthly stipends of N18, 000.
Consequently, in March, 2012, the volunteer teachers began their services in primary schools across the state, bringing relief to over laboured teachers in most of the schools.
But fourteen months after, things have gone sour as most of the volunteer teachers have downed tools over non-payment of the N18, 000 stipends. Tension, which started building up late last year, culminated to a demonstration, which was staged by the teachers in March this year.
Some of these volunteer teachers said they were being struck with one illness or the other even as many others are already finding it difficult to go to their areas of assignment due the fact that they are unable to afford transport fare.
Many, who abandoned their previous businesses or jobs for the volunteer teacher’s scheme have either gone back or are currently combining it with the volunteer teaching.
At Union Primary school, Agbamere, Eha-Alumona , Nsukka Local Government Area of the State, one of the volunteer teachers, Ogbuefi Wilfred Odo explained that “since we were employed on March 15, 2012, the Enugu state government has not paid us our salary.
“In March, we went to Enugu to register our grievances on this non-payment of our salaries. The chairman of the board was not there, and the permanent secretary who is in charge promised to pay us from March, but since then, we have not heard anything. I’m finding things very much difficult because I have some children who are in the institutions of higher learning. I depend solely on this money for their school fees and other things needed in their school, but look at the situation now.”
Ogbuefi Odo explained that “this has adversely affected the productivity of the teachers. This is because a hungry man is an angry man. Do you expect a teacher to continue teaching when he has not been paid? He will not be happy. And he will not have the strength to teach when payment of his salary is not guaranteed.
“The most annoying thing is that our secondary school counterparts with whom we were employed, the same day have been up to date, while ours are still hanging.”
A headmistress in one of the schools visited stated, that due to the pathetic condition of the volunteer teachers in her school, some of the regular teachers in the school even contribute money for their breakfast almost everyday.
One of the volunteer teachers, Mr. Abonyi Francis who said he was 63 told our correspondent that he never expected the ugly situation meted out to them by the Enugu state government.
In his words, “because Enugu state government has not paid us, my survival is depended on the regular teachers in this school. They have continued to lend us money, especially when we are down health wise to take care of our health. They give us loan, which we don’t know when we can pay.”
Asked why he has continued to come to school despite the fact that they are yet to be paid even one month salary, Mr. Abonyi explained thus; “we will find out from the government if they still want us or not. If they say they don’t want us again, then we will go. If they cannot pay us, then we go out and find other means of survival. Meanwhile, I will continue to work for now.”
Another volunteer teacher in the school, Mr. Ugwu Matthew Chukwuma who is currently 67 years of age also explained that since he was employed in the school as a volunteer teacher, he has not been paid.
“I have being encountering a lot of problems especially when I was sick. I don’t have money to take care of myself. I also went about borrowing to take care of my family with the hope that government would pay me. But since then, government has not paid me anything. It has been very difficult for me and my family. Since the Enugu state government doesn’t want to pay me, the only person I cry to is the Almighty God for Him to help us out. If they failed to pay and even after the last March protest, I will withdraw and go and look for a place to get money to feed my family”, he added.
Another volunteer teacher in the school, Mr. Aaron Ugwuoke, 65, told our reporter that “when we went to Enugu the other day, they told us they were going to pay. Since then, they have continued to postpone the payment. Up till now, they have not paid us. Since then, I have continued to borrow money from my relatives to sort out my financial problems. Three weeks ago, I went to the hospital, and they charged me N17, 000. I came back to the school and borrowed money from the permanent teachers here.
“So, it has been very difficult for me. The only thing now is to get the clearance that they are going to pay us. If they will pay us, I am ready to work for the next ten years. If they are not, I will quit and look for something to help me and my family.”
Government please pay.
May 13, 2014, 10:29:55 AM