Some primary school pupils in Nasarawa State have appealed to the State Government and the Nigeria Union of Teachers to end the protracted primary school teachers strike to enable them write their common entrance examination.
Some of the pupils made the appeal on Sunday in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria in Garaku, Kokona Local Government Area of the state.
They also said their fate of going to Junior Secondary School is yet to be known due to the ongoing teachers strike, hence the need for the state government and the union to dialogue in order to end the strike.
Emmanuel Sunday, a pupil, said: “I am a class six pupil and since June we are at home due to the indefinite strike action embarked upon by our teachers and this strike had affected us negatively as we are yet to write our common entrance examination.
“It is only when class six pupils write and pass the common entrance examination that he or she is qualified to be admitted in to Junior Secondary School and now we are still at home.
“How can we go to JSS 1 without writing the common entrance examination?
“It is in view of this that I want to appeal to both the state government and the state Nigeria Union of Teachers to dialogue in order to end the ongoing Primary School teachers strike across the state so as to enable the pupils resume school and to write their common entrance examination.
“Because there is no how for one to jump to JSS 1 without writing the common entrance examination and everybody in the country is aware that the basic education of every child begins at the primary school.
“Once a child’s basic education is faulty, if care is not taken, the child’s secondary and tertiary education will be affected negatively.”
Another pupil, Hauwa Musa, said: “I am a primary six pupil and the ongoing strike had affected my education negatively as my fate of going in to JSS 1 is yet to be known due to the ongoing teachers strike.
“My appeal to the state government and the state NUT body is for them to dialogue in order to end the ongoing primary school teachers in our interest and for the overall development of the education sector.”
According to Musa, the success of the education of every child depended upon on the quality of primary education given to the child.
Joseph Zaba, another primary school pupil, said: “We are not happy sitting at home.
“The strike is unfortunate as it is affecting our education negatively.
“As you know, we are at home for more than two months now and the strike is still ongoing, it is not good for us because our cry is for the government and the teachers to dialogue so as to save our future.”
NAN recalls that on June 13, primary teachers in the state under the aegis of the NUT embarked on an indefinite strike rejecting the payment of their monthly salaries in percentages.
NAN.