The Federal Government says it has not taken over the payment of salaries of teachers of private schools in Nigeria.

The Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba made the clarification in Abuja while responding to claims that the Federal goverment had agreed to pay the salaries of private school teachers being owed since the lockdown started in March.

The Minister further clarified that he had advised NAPPS to take advantage of the Federal government’s economic sustainability plan, a window created by the Central Bank of Nigeria to assist small and medium scale Enterprise.

He also stated that he had urged the association to approach the Apex bank with the names of it members who are registered teachers with the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria ,adding that doing otherwise would make it difficult for the government to actually determine those in need of the assistance.

According to Nwajiuba,” I had written back to Otubela that it will do NAPPS well to let us know who these teachers are,we advise that they can upload their BVN especially if they are registered teachers with the TRCN, we told them to take advantage of the CBN window which supports small and medium scale Enterprise and education is an industry which the scheme can also support”

“They can have salary augmentation to augument what they do not have ,I believe it in thesame spirit that Otubela may have written the Vice President ,but if he is saying the Vice President will give him money ,I am not privy to the information”

“I believe the CBN window is available for them to exploit and really any assistance we can give to them we will like to give them but it is important to clarify that we are not taking over the payment of their salaries”

“Economic sustainability is not palliative but a window the FG has created to reach people and budget has been designed, CBN has also made provisions,“ Nwajiuba added.

It would be recalled that the President of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools, Yomi Otuubel , had earlier announced on Monday 13th July, that the Federal government had agreed to pay the salaries of private school teachers that are being owed by their school management since the lockdown started in March. (Text, excluding headline, courtesy VON)

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