The President of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Yomi Otubela has disclosed that the Federal Government has agreed to pay the salaries of Private School teachers that are being owed by their school management since the lockdown started in March, due to the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country.
Otubela, who was speaking on a television programme on TVC, confirmed that the Association has forwarded a proposal to the Economic Sustainability Committee, headed by the Vice- President, Yemi Osinbajo, and it has been approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
“We have written to the Federal government to make them understand that those teachers are teaching Nigeria children and that they need to keep them and their families together during the lockdown. So the federal government has listened to our request. We requested that the teachers’ salaries in private school be taken over by the government during the months of the lockdown. We also request for a single digit loan for private school to cushion the effect of the COVID-19.
“We request for support for schools that have existing loans, that they (Federal Government) should liaise on our behalf with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and CBN will liaise with commercial banks and other financial institutions to ensure that they give them soft landing in terms of moratorium to repay and deduction in the interest loan. The Federal government has approved that they will take over the payment of teachers salaries.
The proposal was sent to the Economic Sustainability Committee, headed by the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, and it was approved by the Federal executive council.
We are already talking to them to know the modalities for the disbursement.”
However, he stated that, it stated that it is only schools registered under its’ Association that will benefit from the government bailout.
A vast number of Private School teachers have during the months of lockdown, appeal to the Government to come to their aid, as they have not been paid salaries since March when schools were shut down as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
