Kaduna teachers suspend strike

The Kaduna state chapter of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) has called off its strike.

The union had embarked on the strike on January 8, to protest the sacking of of 21,780 of their colleagues who failed a competency test conducted by the state government in 2017.

Announcing the suspension via a statement on Thursday, Adamu Amba, the state NUT chairman, said the measure followed the decision of the state government to give the sacked teachers a second chance.

He said the government has promised to give teachers another opportunity for consideration in the ongoing recruitment of fresh teachers by the State Universal Education Board (SUBEB).

The statement read: “The state wing of the NUT, Kaduna state met today 18th January 2018 to review the situation in the light of the pronouncement of the Kaduna state government which was broadcast on the state media outfit the KSMC (Kaduna state media corporation).

“The broadcast which is to the effect that the state government after a meeting with the interim chairman and education secretaries of the 23 local governments has decided to give the 21,780 teachers who did not pass the recent competency test another opportunity for consideration under the State Universal Education Board (SUBEB) program of continuous recruitment that will give every willing teacher a chance to apply.

“The state wing executive council (SWEC) of NUT Kaduna commends the above decision of the governor and sees in it an opportunity to resolve the impasse between the teachers in Kaduna state and the state government, the end results of which will be an improvement in service delivery in our public schools

“In the light of the above, SWEC unanimously resolved to reciprocate the gesture of the Kaduna state government by calling off with immediate effect the indefinite strike action embarked upon by teachers in the public schools and secondary schools in Kaduna state.”