Agriculture
THE Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), an NGO, has urged state governments to provide soft loan to teachers to engage in farming as schools remain closed because of Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The Chairman of CLO, Anambra branch, Mr Vincent Ezekwueme, made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu on Tuesday against the backdrop of the plight of teachers in private schools.
NAN reports that schools nationwide were closed by both federal and state governments to effectively contain and check the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ezekwueme said that since February most private schools had closed and there had been no time frame for them to resume.
He noted that teachers especially those in private schools had continued to find it difficult to survive.
“It is very unfortunate and pathetic that some private school teachers and workers in organised private sector have not received their salaries since February.
“The panacea is for government to provide soft loan for teachers, especially private teachers, to enable them embark on farming activities.
“This will enable them engage themselves more meaningfully even as they await to hear of the scheduled timetable for school resumption and actual resumption itself,’’ he said.
The chairman, however, urged state governments to provide palliatives to private school teachers in their various states.
“Pertinently, this is in view of the deluge of complaints of hardship from teachers especially those in private schools to our office caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“State governments should summon emergency meeting with private school proprietors to find mutual and amicable resolution of their financial challenges in order to save our educational system from imminent collapse after COVID-19,’’ he added.
NAN
– June 2, 2020 @ 11:519 GMT |
Tags: COVID-19: CLO urges state govts to provide soft loan to teachers to engage in farming
