The Department of State Services has sacked 140 teachers as well as other staff members of its Community Staff Schools, Asokoro, Abuja for demanding better working conditions as well as improved salaries.
The Department of State Services also went further by shutting down the school and mandating 1,800 pupils in the nursery/primary and secondary classes to stay at home for two weeks as it continues its clean sweep of erring teachers.
Media correspondents on visitation to the school on Wednesday were informed by the private security guard of the school about the incident and how all the pupils were sent home, pending the probe of the school’s teachers.
The incident was precipitated by the teacher’s demands, asking for regularisation of their appointment and an improvement on their salaries as well as other emoluments, considering the increment in the school’s tuition fees, the teacher thought it was only fair to have their salaries increased as well.
In reaction to the demands, the authorities issued a letter of disengagement to all the teaching staff as well as the administrative staff of the school.
Further information revealed that the fee for the nursery and primary classes was increased from N25,000 to N35,000 for children as well as wards of DSS Officers, however, children of senior DSS officers were made to pay N45,000 as against the former N35,000 per term
For children of civilians, the tuition was increased from N45,000 to N60,000.
The skewed payment of tuition was also inconsistent for secondary school classes as some were made to pay from 35,000 to 45,000 for children and wards of the rank and file, while DSS officers’ children were required to pay N60,000 up from 40,000. On the other, students who did not fall in either category were told to N90, 000 from N70,000 including other charges.
In the letter of disengagement dated November 2, 2020, signed by the Executive Secretary, CSSA, M. Onyilo, it was deduced that the DSS supposedly sacked the teachers because of the poor economic state of the country as caused by COVID-19.
The letter reads “Due to the effect of COVID-19 on the Nigerian economy vis-a-vis the crippling financial situation of the school, I am directed to convey the Director-General, State Services/Proprietor’s approval to disengage you from the services of the school with effect from 3rd November 2020.”
A worker in the school who asked to be anonymous said, “When we got tired of their stories, we went to the National Industrial Court and won but they challenged the ruling at the Appeal Court and the court upheld the judgment of the industrial court in our favour in 2018. Our demand is that they should regularise our appointment so that our jobs can be secured.”
Another staff of the school said, “During the COVID-19 (lockdown), they paid us half salaries. The school was not in session and parents were not paying but now that we have resumed, they still told us it is either we accept half salary or wait for them to gather school fees so they can pay our full salary.
“They are also saying that even if they paid us the full salary, they would not settle the balance of the half salaries and we would not be paid leave grant. They also reviewed the condition of service and still reduced our October salary despite increasing school fees.”
Inspite of the unwanted attention that the sack of the teachers has attracted, the DSS spokesman, Peter Afunanya, has yet to respond to inquiries on the sacking of the workers.
