FCT Schools Reopen After Teachers Suspend Strike, Attendance Remains Low

FCT Schools Reopen After Teachers Suspend Strike, Attendance Remains Low

Schools across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) reopened on Wednesday after teachers suspended their two-week strike, but attendance remained low in several primary and secondary schools visited by reporters.

Teachers returned to their classrooms following a directive from the FCT Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), led by Comrade Stephen Knabayi, after consultations and reconciliation meetings with the FCT Administration.

The labour union said the decision followed discussions aimed at resolving the issues that triggered the indefinite industrial action.

Among the resolutions reached was a commitment to address the promotion of education officers. The NLC explained that vacancies for promotion would be determined by the establishment positions declared by the Education Secretariat.

It added that the expected retirement of several directorate staff members would create opportunities for other officers to move up the ranks.

On the 2025 promotion examination, the union said the FCT Civil Service Commission would be formally notified of the Executive Council’s approval, after which a new examination date would be announced for eligible candidates.

Checks across Abaji, Gwagwalada, Bwari and Kuje area councils showed that teachers had resumed work, although many schools recorded fewer pupils and students than expected.

At Pilot Science Primary School in Abaji, teachers were seen conducting lessons, with more than 300 pupils reportedly back in school as of Wednesday.

A teacher, Shuaibu Musa, said staff members returned after receiving a resumption directive from the FCT chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) late on Tuesday.

The school’s head teacher, Alhaji Salihu Jibrin, said he received the announcement through the union’s platform on Tuesday night and subsequently contacted other teachers to ensure they returned to work.

Jibrin expressed optimism that attendance would improve before the end of the week. He also commended the leadership of the FCT NUT, headed by Comrade Abdullahi Mohammed Shafas, for its efforts to protect teachers’ welfare.

He praised the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, for addressing some outstanding arrears owed to teachers but urged the administration to sustain its efforts to improve their working conditions.

At Government Junior Secondary School, Naharati, in Abaji Area Council, lessons had also resumed, although only a small number of teachers and students were present.

One of the teachers, Gabriel Moses, said he learnt about the resumption around 11:12 p.m. on Tuesday through the teachers’ platform.

He said the announcement prompted him to prepare for work the following morning.

Moses called on the FCT Administration to honour its agreements with the unions, warning that unresolved demands could lead to another disruption of academic activities.

The situation was similar in Gwagwalada Area Council, where lessons had resumed at Demonstration Primary School and Government Day Secondary School, but attendance remained low.

At LEA Primary Schools in Gwako and Zuba, teachers had also returned to their classrooms, although only a few pupils were present.

In Kuje Area Council, a similar situation was observed at LEA Primary School in Chibiri community, where a small number of teachers and pupils had resumed academic activities.

Despite the return to classrooms, some teachers expressed dissatisfaction with the outcome of negotiations, particularly the unresolved concerns surrounding the use of available vacancies as a condition for promotion.

One teacher argued that the FCT Minister should have directly addressed the issue, which had featured prominently among the demands presented by the joint labour unions.

The teacher said the administration’s handling of the promotion dispute had left some workers dissatisfied.

The chairman of the NUT Kubwa chapter, Comrade Ameh Baba, said teachers returned immediately after the strike was suspended because they needed to recover the time lost during the industrial action.

He warned that losing two weeks of the academic calendar could affect teaching schedules and put pressure on teachers to complete their syllabuses.

Baba said the union would consider different options for recovering the lost time, including extending the school calendar by two weeks.

Describing the strike as unfortunate, he maintained that the dispute could have been resolved earlier if the government had responded more promptly to the teachers’ grievances.

He also alleged that the administration’s threat to issue queries to teachers worsened the situation and contributed to the escalation of the dispute, prompting a response from the NLC.

Baba said the FCT Administration must now focus on implementing the agreements reached with the unions, claiming that about 70 per cent of the government’s commitments remained unfulfilled.

With teachers back at work, attention has shifted to the implementation of the agreements and the recovery of lost instructional time, while the low turnout recorded in several schools suggests that a full return to normal academic activities may take more time.