Posted by From AMOS DUNIA and OLUWOLE AKINBOYEWA, Abuja on
The Senate has summoned Education Minister, Dr. Igwe Aja-Nwachukwu to appear before it today following the Federal Government's inability to resolve the three-week old crisis over implementation of the Teachers Salary Scale (TSS) demanded by the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT).
The Senate has summoned Education Minister, Dr. Igwe Aja-Nwachukwu to appear before it today following the Federal Government's inability to resolve the three-week old crisis over implementation of the Teachers Salary Scale (TSS) demanded by the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT).
Also to appear before the Senate Committee on Education is the leadership of the NUT, which is expected to dialogue with the lawmakers on the way out of the crisis.
A letter of invitation issued by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Education, Senator Joy Emodi, directed the minister to prepare a detailed brief on the TSS crisis.
The Senate Committee on Education stated that it could not continue to watch further degradation of the education sector hence the need to act fast in ensuring a quick resolution of the matter.
The Senate had said that there was a budgetary provision of over N700 million in the 2008 Appropriation Act for the payment of the teachers' salary.
Before the strike began on June 29, the union had vowed not to renegotiate the salary, stressing that all agreements on the special salary scale had been concluded.
In the last three weeks, each of the two parties had stuck to its gun. While the union said all they needed was the Federal Government's directive to the state governments to pay the salary, the former had said it could not determine the financial capability of the states to pay.
However, the Federal Government has begun the process of paying teachers in its employment a special salary package, while some states also had already approved special salary scales for their teachers.