Private school teachers in Jos say they are struggling with low pay and poor working conditions, earning as little as N10,000 to N25,000 monthly despite rising living costs and heavy workloads.
Findings show that many private schools in Jos, the capital of Plateau State, pay NCE, HND, BSc and Master’s degree holders between N10,000 and N25,000, with little or no salary increase for five to 10 years. Some teachers said they are required to handle multiple classes from JSS1 to SS3, working from 7am to 3pm daily, while proprietors allegedly threaten dismissal when staff demand better remuneration. As private schools continue to expand across the city, teachers say they remain at the receiving end of poor welfare conditions.
Ezekiel Atangs, who has taught in private schools for over 15 years, said, “I have been teaching in private schools for the past 15 years and I can say that my experiences have never been palatable. Where I am currently working is my third but the story has been the same. I have been here for the past four years on a N15,000 salary. There has never been an increment and anytime we approach the proprietor for an increase, she will tell us that anyone who is not happy with the salary can leave. I have a wife and three children, so I have to engage in menial labour to augment the stipend I get from my teaching job.
When I close and during weekends, I go to construction sites to work. If not, my family will starve.” Ishaya Bitson added, “I can tell you in all honesty that private school teachers in Plateau State are really suffering. I have a degree in education but all efforts to get a job with either the state or federal governments have proved abortive, I had to pick a job with a popular private school in Jos. On the surface, the school is one of the most prestigious in Jos with the school fees running into hundreds of thousands of naira. But it will interest you to know that the teachers are poorly paid.
When I was employed five years ago, my salary was N20,000 with the promise of a review after one year but since then, I have been stuck on the same salary. Whenever I approach the principal to talk about the increase, he will tell me to be patient or if I can’t cope any longer, I should put in my resignation letter. We are really suffering in silence,” he lamented. Leonard Bagudu also said, “I have an NCE and I’ve been teaching in a private school for the past eight years on a salary of N12,000 with no hope of a change in the near future.”
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