BY GBENGA ARIYIBI
ADO-EKITI—Protests,  Wednesday,  marred  the  celebration of this year’s World Teachers Day in Ekiti State, as members of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, the umbrella body for teachers, refused to  participate in the match past  to commemorate the occasion.

The  well attended ceremony took place at the Sport Arena of the   Christ School, Ado Ekiti  where the   Deputy-Governor of the state, Mrs Funmilayo Adunni Olayinka stood in for the state governor, Dr Kayode  Fayemi

However, members of the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools, ASUSS, led by Comrade Sola Adigun, participated in the match past

The teachers, according to inside  source were said to have shown their grievances over the  recent  reform  carried out by the state government where  a huge number of  school principals and vice principals were made to write examinations to qualify for elevation to school principals

They argued that examination could only be conducted for promotion  to move  to the next level  and not  ‘for duty posts’’

‘’No provision for uniform for today’s ceremony, we  were not carried along until two days ago, the source further said.

Other grouse of the teachers have to do with  the recent recognition accorded members of the ASUSS by the state government against the monopoly earlier enjoyed by the NUT. The teachers felt it was a divide-and-rule tactics by the government.

Some of the teachers were also not happy with the reform being undertaken by the State Government in the education sector, leading to the demotion of some senior principals in the State to the Vice Principal rank.

Hardly had the state Deputy Governor, Mrs Funmilayo Olayinka delivered her speech, than the  teachers engaged themselves in fisticuffs

As ASUSS members were matching towards the podium, the teachers were booing them and calling them unprintable names for allegedly sabotaging the NUT’s efforts to stop the reform and other sundry issues affecting the teachers in the State.

The vividly livid teachers hurled stones and other light weapons at the ASUSS’s members

Sign of discontentment began to manifest, when the NUT Chairman in the State, Comrade Yemi Omoyeni, had urged the State Government to stop recognizing an illegal Union, practically and tactically referring to the rival ASUSS.