Primary school teachers, under the employ of Akwa Ibom State Government, have heaved a big sigh of relief following Governor Udom Emmanuel’s order for immediate payment of their bag-log salary arrears.

Speaking yesterday in exclusive interviews with News Express, a cross section of serving and retired primary school teachers in the system, described the governor’s gesture as “excellent promise keeping,” as others see it as “practical evidence of good things to come to the Akwa Ibom State education sector.”

Mrs. Grace Akpan, a senior teacher at Lutheran Primary School, Owot Uta in Ibesikpo Asutan Local Government Area of the state, told News Express that she and other primary school teachers in the Council Area have not yet received their June 2015 salaries, adding: “I can tell you that all primary school teachers in all other Local Government Areas in the entire state, are facing the same plight.”

Mrs. Akpan disclosed that Uyo Local Government Council is owing their primary school teachers salaries for May and June 2015. “The teachers leave grants for 2013 and 2014 have not been paid to any of us throughout the state, while promotion arrears for 2011 and 2012 are also yet to be paid to the affected primary school teachers as of now,” she lamented.

The senior primary school teacher said that she was however hoping to receive the much expected payments by the end of this July, based on the state governor’s directive, “all things being equal.”

In her reaction, another primary school teacher, Udeme Isong of Primary School, Afaha Effiat in Etinan Local Government Area, stated that soon after she received “the cheering news,” she put a call to her colleague, urging that she should inform her immediately she received bank alert on the salary arrears payment, promising her to do same if she would be the first to receive it.

“I will be very grateful if the salary arrears and other entitlements owed us, are cleared,” Isong remarked.

Elder Edwin Okpo, a retired Head Master of Primary School, Mbiabong Anyanya, in Uyo Local Government Area, told News Express in Uyo that since he retired from active teaching in 2013, he has been receiving his monthly pension regularly, complaining however, “but since that my retirement from service, I have not received my gratuity and other service entitlements up till now.”

Elder Okpo stressed: “Let me use this opportunity to applaud the new administration of the state, for doing something to ameliorate the fortune of primary school teachers,” saying: “I hope it would be a lasting gesture, so that primary school teachers would not go through such harrowing experience anymore.”

News Express recalls that Governor Udom Emmanuel, had last Tuesday, directed the state’s Accountant General to “release funds for the immediate payment of all arrears of salaries owed primary school teachers” in the state.

The governor assured that his administration would also consider a similar up-to-date arrangement to cover payment of arrears of leave grants owed to the primary school teachers “soon”, while “efforts would also be made in ensuring the payment of arrears of pensions and gratuities to retired teachers in Akwa Ibom State.”

In the other way round, it is however said that, teachers in the state government’s secondary and technical schools, are not being owed any of their entitled emoluments.