Date: 2017-07-01

The Chairman, Nigeria Union of Teachers in Kwara State, Mr. Musa Abubakar, on Friday said that no fewer than 1,000 members of the union protested in Kwara State because they were against the inclusion of primary education in the local government autonomy.

Speaking with journalists, Abubakar warned that leaving the funding and administration of primary education to the local government authorities would affect the standard of learning.

Insisting that primary education was crucial to national development, the Kwara State NUT Chairman said that it should rather be handled by the state and the Federal Government to improve existing standards.

While lamenting the plight of teachers in the state, who were being owed four months salaries, Abubakar called on the Federal Government to increase the percentage of allocation to states so as to improve the quality of education in the country.

He said, "When primary education was under the local governments, it was the worst period for us in history. It was a period of agony for teachers because salaries were not paid.

"With this renewed agitation for autonomy, if primary education is left in the hands of the local government authorities, we will be going back to the dark ages, when primary schools were reduced to nothing.

"We are therefore urging the Federal Government to look into this matter so as to further improve the quality of education in the country and the welfare of teachers as well."

Teachers from all across the state had on Thursday marched from the Labour House in Ilorin through the Ahmadu Bello Way to the Government House to register their frustration.

Carrying placards bearing different inscriptions, they were accompanied by about 50 security operatives during the protest.