Several pupils in the Gwagwalada Area Council have taken advantage of the resumed FCT primary school teachers’ strike to assist their parents earn a living.
The pupils in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday said they now use the strike period to improve their families’ income by hawking.
Some of them have resorted to engaging in other forms of menial jobs.
The pupils said instead of engaging in evil or vices that could bring problems to their respective parents, they were rather doing something meaningful to support their parents.
One of them, Sani Mohammed, said pupils were asked to go home for now by their teachers until they were instructed to resume without telling them the reason.
“I went to school yesterday (Friday) but was asked to go back home until we are asked to resume, without anyone telling us the reason.
“Instead of staying idle, I took money from my little savings to buy nylon bags to sell, so I can assist my parents from the gain I will realise.
“I want to go back to school. I don’t like hawking when I am supposed to be in school”, he said.
Deborah Akpan, another pupil, said that she had to support her mother by hawking groundnut since they were asked to stay at home until they were asked to resume.
“I feel so ashamed seeing other children in my neighbourhood who attend private schools go to school while I hawk groundnuts.
“I would love to go to a private school but my parents cannot afford it, I am pleading with the government to pay our teachers so we can go back to school,” she said.
Victoria Onuorah, a parent, said it was disheartening seeing other children in private schools going to school while her children were at home because of incessant strikes.
Onuorah said she would have loved to enrol her three children in a private school but could not afford it.
“I am appealing to the government to bring a lasting solution to this strike so our children in the government schools can go back to school.
“It hurts to see other children every morning going to school and yours are at home. Government schools are supposed to be the best and most efficient, but it is not so,” she added.
NAN reports that teachers in government-owned schools in the FCT are on an indefinite strike to protest the non-payment of 60 per cent of owed arrears by the Area Councils.
This action follows a 14-day ultimatum issued by the FCT Chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers to the six area councils in the territory.
The union had previously embarked on an indefinite strike on January 15, after suspending another strike in November 2023.
The teachers are demanding the implementation of a 40 per cent peculiar allowance and payment of 25 months of minimum wage arrears, among other dues.
They are also demanding the payment of the N35,000 wage award arrears and the implementation of the template on outstanding entitlements of teachers as agreed in 2022.