Workers and trade union leaders in the Federal Ministry of Education on Monday in Abuja protested the proposed concession of Federal Unity Colleges.
The protesters gathered at the ministry’s headquarters displaying placards, chanting solidarity songs and demanding an immediate reversal of the concession plan.
They also vowed to sustain their industrial action until the Federal Government rescinded the proposal and committed more funds to the affected schools.
The protest followed the dispute between the Federal Government and teachers’ unions over the planned concession of King’s College, Lagos.
The government’s proposal to concession the institution to private interests or its Old Boys’ Association triggered opposition from workers and education stakeholders.
The protesters argued that transferring public schools to private entities could undermine their accessibility, affordability and role in promoting national unity.
Speaking with NAN Comrade Gali Habib, a trade union leader in the ministry, said workers were protesting in solidarity.
Habib said the protest was also aimed at protecting Federal Unity Colleges from policies that could undermine their public ownership and national-integration objectives.
He described the colleges as institutions where children from less-privileged families accessed quality secondary education at subsidised rates.
According to him, the schools helped bridge educational inequalities by bringing together children from different ethnic, cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds.
“If you are selling these schools to private organisations, will the children of the poor be able to access quality education again? No,” he asked.
Habib said wealthy Nigerians could afford private education, but many ordinary families depended on government-owned schools for affordable and quality secondary education
He urged the Federal Government to reverse the concession plan and instead provide adequate funding for infrastructure, teachers’ welfare and other educational needs.
Habib said the union would sustain the industrial action until the government reversed the decision, stressing that workers were not part of any concession arrangement.
Another staff representative who spoke on condition of anonymity said Federal Unity Colleges remained important platforms for national integration because children from different regions studied and interacted in the same environment.
The worker said concession of the the schools could weaken that role and make quality secondary education less accessible to families unable to afford private school fees.
A senior ministry officer, who preferred to be known simply as Uko for fear of possible victimisation said the protest was triggered by the proposed concession of King’s College, Lagos, to private interests or its Old Boys’ Association.
He urged the government to increase funding for the school, rehabilitate its infrastructure and improve welfare for teachers and other workers.
Uko described King’s College as a national heritage institution that had contributed to the development of generations of Nigerians.
He said many former students of the institution had advanced academically and professionally after benefiting from opportunities provided by the school.
“Instead of handing these institutions over to private interests, the Federal Government should inject adequate funding and properly cater to teachers and staff,” he said.
Another staff representative, who also spoke on condition of anonymity said the Unity Colleges should remain public institutions because of their importance to national integration and access to affordable secondary education.
The worker urged the Federal Government and other stakeholders to preserve the colleges as public institutions and national assets.
Protest in Abuja as FG workers reject concession of Unity Colleges