By TINA TIMOTHY

The Revolutionary Socialist Movement (RSM) has called on the masses, parents and the Central Trade Union leaders in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, to support the Local Education Authority teachers (LEA) in primary schools in their demand to rescue public education from collapse.

The call is contained in a statement RSM issued on Thursday, February 3, 2022 which was signed by its Publicity Secretary, Salako Kayode.

The statement reads: “We call on the masses and the central trade union leaders in FCT to mobilise in solidarity with the LEA teachers, to rescue public education from total collapse. Revolutionary Socialist Movement (RSM) supports the striking FCT local education teachers in primary schools and calls on the parents and masses to support their demands.

“The demands of the striking teachers include non-implementation of teachers’ promotion arrears from 2014 to 2018, non-implementation of 2020 and 2021 annual increments, and upgrading of qualified teachers. They also demand the implementation of 24 months Federal Government approved minimum wage arrears.

“Revolutionary socialist movement (RSM) supports the demands of the primary school teachers of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) in FCT, these demands are very important. Even though the leadership of the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) has agreed to satisfy the demands, five other Area Councils in the FCT have refused to meet the demands of the striking teachers.

“This strike, like many in the past, is to force the Area Councils to meet their demands. ?any of the Area Council chairmen are re-contesting in the February 12 Area Council elections and those that aren’t re-contesting are spending huge amounts to get their preferred candidates elected. This money is actually looted public money that should be spent to meet the demands of the striking primary school teachers and to invest in public education, to allow for the children of workers and poor families to have proper education.

“We salute the courage of the primary school teachers. The union suspended the strike in December 2021 following an agreement with the area councils and after intervention from Mr. Philip Aduda, the serving Senator of FCT. The Council Chairmen, however, failed to fulfill the initial commitments made with the striking teachers and this resulted in the resumption of the strike.

“We think it is very important to organise regular congresses of the NUT State Wing Executive Council (SWEC) and seek solidarity from other chapters of the union.

“It is necessary to produce leaflets and press statements appealing to the Nigerian people to support the teachers’ struggle, so as to put pressure on the Area Council leaderships that are more concerned about spending on campaigns in coming elections than to meet the demands of teachers.

“The truth is that the ruling elite do not have their children sent to these schools and therefore do not understand and are not interested in the sufferings of the masses. This explains why the government and the area councils refuse to fulfill the agreement they made with the striking teachers.

“We call on the masses, labour unions and civil society to support the struggle and demands of the striking teachers and demand of the Area Council authority and the Minister of FCT to immediately meet their legitimate demands.

“This support is important for the teachers to achieve victory. Their victory is important for the poor masses’ children who want to have access to quality education.

“RSM is committed to always supporting the struggle of the working class and also call on the masses to join hands in saving public education in Nigeria.

“We demand free functional and quality education at the Area Councils, also we call for improved funding of the education sectors with 26 per cent of the Area Councils budget on the education sector.”