One strike too many!

Teachers in public schools across the country have begun an indefinite strike to demand for the release of the circular containing the new Teachers Salary Structure (TSS) and once again the standard of education is being compromised as the right to education of the Nigerian child is being denied. Strike! Strike! Strike! Is that the only language we understand in this country? Is that the only action that can resolve the issues people feel need urgent attention? NLC go on strike, Petroleum workers go on strike, Transport road workers go on strike, Trade union go on strike, Doctors go on strike, Teachers go on strike and our national development is grounded to a halt. One more strike and it will be one orchestrated by Nigerian students screaming for a better standard of education.

Our teachers deserve to get salary increment for their unrelenting and profound effort in building the nation; after all it is he who builds the youths, the posterity of the Nation that builds the Nation. So as the government sort out ways to meet the demands of our teachers, they should also use the opportunity to look at ways to refurbish the standard of education in Nigeria . We need to turn a fresh page on our education system, we need a change!

The deteriorating standard of education in Nigeria overwhelms me. And like G.T the Guitar man, I sing “when am I gonna be what I wanna be? When am I gonna see what I wanna see? Time is ticking and I can’t wait no more, do dreams ever come true in this part of this world?...” but I’m not singing alone, millions of students all over Nigeria who are currently affected by the National Union of Teachers’ strike are echoing the lyric in different languages.

When two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. But if the grass suffer for too long, it withers and that will take the carer back to square one of cleaning up the after-effect! This strike will turn youths angry for being left alone to waste; they will channel their desire to be and belong into cultism or gangsterism and exchange their books for gun to derive power since education has failed to empower them. More violence then becomes the order of the day as these youths display their youthful exuberance negatively. Others simply take to street football with the hope of becoming another “JJ Okocha or Kanu” or better still indulge in ganster rap as a way of expressing themselves and for leisure and gratification, sex come into the picture. All these and many more are the mess parents, teachers, government and all stakeholders will have to clean up if the strike is not resolved soon- a very expensive rehabilitation exercise!