The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has commended President Bola Tinubu for the bold step taken to ensure Local Government financial autonomy. The union however, said that funding of basic education, including teachers’ salary should be handled by state governments, financial autonomy of the councils, notwithstanding.
The National President, NUT, Comrade Audu Amba, stated the position of the union, after its National Executive Council (NEC), meeting in Abuja.
Specifically, Amba said that the NEC resolved that salaries and allowances of Basic Education teachers and other support staff members, should be deducted as first-line charge from the Consolidated Revenue.
He said, after the deduction from the consolidated revenue, the fund should be paid directly to the State Universal Basic Education Boards nationwide, for onward disbursement to beneficiaries
According to him, on no circumstance, should basic education be left entirely in the hands of the local government councils.
“The levels and ratios of participation of the three tiers of government, in respect of entire funding of basic education in Nigeria, should be expressly provided through Constitutional amendments.
“The NEC-in-session has deliberated on this topical issue of concern to teachers in the basic education segment of our school system and by extension all Nigerian teachers in the light of its implications to the funding of basic education in Nigeria. “Our call that basic education should be shielded from unwarranted neglect and abuse, is necessitated in the light of importance of basic education layer of the nation’s education system; being the bedrock of our national orientation and development ,” he said.
Amba, therefore, urged President Tinubu and the National Assembly to rise to the occasion, by causing desirable amendments in the nation’s revenue allocation formular to reflect the realities of the day.
