The Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, failed to show up on Monday at a meeting organized by the House of Representatives Committee on Education to dialogue on the controversial September 22 date for the resumption of schools nationwide.
The body did not give any reason why its members did not show up at the meeting.
Dailypost recalls that the NUT had earlier fixed its meeting on the matter for Tuesday (today). At the end of today’s meeting, Nigerians will know whether they will proceed on strike over the resumption date or not.
It would be recalled that the union had last week insisted that none of its members would teach until it was scientifically and medically proved that the Ebola disease has been completely eradicated.
The union, through its President, Michael Alogba had stated their position thus: “We have written to tell them that if the Federal Government does not shift the date(September 22 and provide all necessary safety measures in schools before Monday next week (yesterday), all NUT leaders will meet in Abuja by 9am on Tuesday (today) to decide our fate by ourselves.”
The punch however reports that when the NUT boss was contacted on why the union stayed away from the meeting, Alogba said they were not invited.
“We were not informed. We were not invited. We only learnt of it after the Minister left the said meeting. In fact, we suspected foul play. However, our meeting will hold as planned tomorrow(today) to discuss and decide which way forward,” Alogba added.
The boycotted meeting was attended by the Minister of Education, Ibrahim Shekarau, the NMA and the All Nigerian Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools.
During the meeting, the NMA reiterated its earlier position regarding the resumption date, stating that pupils could return to their classrooms if government at all levels and other stakeholders would provide and apply measures to prevent further spread of the EVD in the country.
In what appeared like an agreement with the government, the body said after reviewing the commendable efforts of the Federal, Lagos, Rivers and Enugu state governments to contain the virus, there was no point keeping pupils at home beyond September 22.
The NMA President, Kayode Obembe, called for “informed and reasonably eternal vigilance over the matter,” rather than acting based on rumours, lies and ignorance.’’
Obembe added,that “Except we have new import cases from neighbouring countries or we have some of the contacts who evaded quarantine, then we may not have new cases of EVD.
“It makes scientific sense for schools to resume on September 22 as proposed by the Federal Government.
“All cases so far in the country had epidemiological link directly or indirectly with the index case (late Patrick Sawyer).
“Apart from this linkage in Lagos and Port Harcourt, there is no evidence of EVD transmission in the country.”
Shekarau, while defending government’s position before the committee, and denying that the government was under pressure said: “Not a single private school owner has put us under pressure. The highest authority on Ebola in the country is the Federal Ministry of Health.
“If the highest authority says that it is safe to re-open schools, what is the basis of insisting on October 13?
“What if by October 13, the situation has not changed, are we going to say the schools should remain closed?”
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