A worried parent has expressed frustration over the ongoing teachers’ strike, lamenting that students in boarding schools are being deprived of academic instruction despite the significant financial sacrifices their families make to keep them in school.

Speaking to JoyNews, the parent said it was meaningless for children to remain in school without being taught, particularly when parents had already spent considerable amounts of money on school-related expenses, including provisions and other essential items needed for their stay in boarding houses.

According to the concerned parent, the continued disruption of academic activities has left families questioning the purpose of sending their children to school when teaching and learning have ground to a halt.

He called on the government and other relevant authorities to urgently address the issues underlying the strike and ensure that normal academic activities resume as soon as possible.

“It is true that if the children have gone to school and they are not teaching them, then it means meaningless. It doesn't sound well. So, whether government or whosoever have to face that problem to solve it, they have to face it and solve it,” he said.

Parents bear financial burden as students remain idle

The parent further highlighted the financial pressure the situation places on families, explaining that parents go to considerable lengths to provide their children with everything they need before sending them to boarding school.

He mentioned provisions such as gari, pepper, milk, Nido and other items typically packed in students’ chop boxes to sustain them throughout their stay on campus.

However, he lamented that students were consuming these provisions while remaining without the academic instruction their parents expected them to receive.

For him, the situation represents a troubling mismatch between the financial investments families make in their children's education and the lack of teaching and learning resulting from the industrial action.

“Because we spend a lot on them and they are going, you give them gari, pepper, whatever, milk, Nido, then they will go consume that one freely without teaching them. So, please, the leaders have to do something seriously about it. If they have to pay them, they have to pay them,” he lamented.

His comments reflect concerns about the wider consequences of the strike for parents who must continue to meet their children's basic needs while waiting for a resolution that will allow academic work to resume.

Beyond the cost of provisions, the disruption also raises questions about the effective use of school time, particularly for boarding students who remain on campus with limited opportunities to pursue their regular classroom activities.

Government urged to settle teachers’ outstanding payments

The parent attributed the situation to the unresolved issues between teachers and the government, insisting that the authorities must take the necessary steps to address the dispute.

He specifically called on the government to pay teachers what is due them, arguing that resolving the financial concerns at the centre of the industrial action would help bring the strike to an end.

In his view, the continued interruption of education should prompt the relevant authorities to treat the matter with urgency rather than allow the situation to persist while students remain without lessons.

He stressed that if payment to teachers is necessary to resolve the impasse, the government should fulfil its obligations to facilitate a return to the classroom.

The parent’s appeal underscores the concerns of families who expect schools to provide the education for which they have paid, even as disputes over teachers’ conditions of service or remuneration disrupt the academic calendar.

While the parent did not provide details of the specific payments at issue, his remarks centred on the need for the government to address teachers’ grievances and prevent students from bearing the consequences of the unresolved dispute.

Parent challenges the saying that teachers’ reward is in heaven

The concerned parent also criticised the longstanding expression that teachers’ reward is in heaven, arguing that the saying should no longer be used to justify or normalise situations in which teachers struggle to receive their due payments.

He maintained that teachers, like other professionals, deserve to be paid for their work and should not be expected to rely on promises of spiritual rewards while their financial concerns remain unresolved.

According to him, the repeated use of the expression across different administrations has become unacceptable, particularly when other public officials continue to receive their salaries.

“Because all along, every term or every presidency, something changed. They say, teachers, they have a reward at heaven. This thing should stop. It should stop quickly. If teachers have their reward in heaven, then the president also has to have his reward in heaven. The ministers also have to have their reward in heaven.”

Through the remarks, the parent questioned what he considers an unequal expectation placed on teachers, arguing that the profession should receive the same seriousness and attention given to other public-sector occupations.

His position is that teaching should not be treated as a calling that excuses delayed or outstanding payments. Instead, he believes teachers must receive the financial compensation due them for the role they play in educating students and preparing future generations.

“If they don't teach you, how can you be there?”

The parent further emphasised the importance of teachers to national development, pointing out that people who occupy positions of authority today also benefited from the work of teachers during their formative years.

He argued that teachers play a foundational role in preparing individuals for leadership and other professional responsibilities, making it necessary for the government to prioritise their welfare.

He therefore called for the immediate settlement of teachers’ outstanding payments, warning that the education system cannot function effectively when those responsible for delivering lessons remain engaged in an unresolved labour dispute.

“They are having their pay, but someone, teacher is not having his pay. So, teachers, they are the ones who taught you. If they don't teach you, how can you be there? So, they should pay them quickly,” he added.

The statement reinforces his central argument that the government must act decisively to resolve the strike, restore teaching and learning, and prevent students from losing valuable instructional time.

Calls for urgent intervention to protect students’ education

The parent’s concerns highlight the impact that prolonged industrial action can have on students, parents and the wider education system.

For boarding school families, the disruption is particularly frustrating because financial commitments continue even when classroom activities are suspended. Parents must provide food, toiletries, learning materials and other essentials, often in the expectation that their children will receive uninterrupted instruction.

When teaching stops, families are left to contend with the possibility that students may lose valuable learning time despite remaining enrolled in school and incurring the associated costs.

The parent has consequently urged the government and all relevant stakeholders to treat the dispute as an urgent matter requiring a practical resolution.