By Awwal Umar Kontagora Private school owners in Niger State have appealed to the state and federal governments to extend their ...
By Awwal Umar Kontagora
Private school owners in Niger State have appealed to the state and federal governments to extend their transport allowance intervention to teachers in private schools to cushion the effects of the prevailing economic hardship.
The management of Ibnu Rawaha International Academy, Bida, made the appeal on behalf of other concerned private school owners in a statement signed by the school's Director, Tayyib Muhammad, and issued in Minna, the Niger State capital.
The school commended the Federal Government for approving a N70,000 transport allowance for federal civil servants, describing the initiative as a welcome intervention that would help cushion the effects of the prevailing economic hardship.
According to Muhammad, economic hardship does not discriminate between public and private-sector workers, as private school teachers face the same rising transportation costs and living expenses as their counterparts in government employment.
“Economic hardship recognises no distinction between public and private employment. Private school teachers face the same rising transportation costs and living expenses as their counterparts in government service,” he stated.
Muhammad recalled that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Federal Government extended financial support to some private schools under its economic intervention programmes. He argued that the same consideration should be extended to private school teachers under the current economic realities.
The concerned private school owners, therefore, appealed to the Federal Government to extend comparable assistance to private school teachers and other deserving private-sector workers across the country.
They also urged the Niger State Government, under the leadership of Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago, to demonstrate similar commitment by introducing a corresponding transport allowance scheme for private school teachers, particularly if the Federal Government fails to accommodate their request.
Furthermore, the group called on the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) to broaden their advocacy to cover workers in the private sector, rather than concentrating primarily on those receiving government salaries.
“Our position is clear: if private school teachers deserved government assistance during the COVID-19 crisis, they equally deserve consideration amid the present economic hardship.
“Let the Federal Government broaden its intervention, let Niger State lead by example where necessary, and let organised labour defend the interests of every worker,” Muhammad concluded.
No comments