The Federal Government has assured workers of King’s College, Lagos, that their jobs are secure amid controversy over a proposed change to the institution’s administrative structure.
The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, gave the assurance on Monday during a meeting with leaders of organised labour over concerns surrounding the planned arrangement for the federal unity school.
The meeting was attended by the Trade Union Congress, Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria and other affiliated unions, as well as the Minister of State for Education, Suwaiba Ahmad, and the acting Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Folake Olatunji-Davies.
The controversy followed the use of the term “concessioning” in describing the proposed arrangement, which raised concerns among workers and unions about the future of the school and the employment status of its staff.
Alausa said the engagement was part of efforts to implement education reforms under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda while ensuring that workers’ welfare and the interests of Nigerian children were protected.
“While workers’ welfare remains important, all stakeholders must also consider the national interest and the future of the nation’s children,” the minister said.
He commended organised labour for raising its concerns and choosing dialogue to resolve the disagreement, assuring the unions that the government would implement the reforms responsibly.
The minister also acknowledged the acting Permanent Secretary for cutting short a scheduled official trip to London to attend to the concerns raised by the unions.
He said the government would consider the interests of students, teachers and non-academic staff while ensuring responsible management of public resources.
The acting Permanent Secretary, Olatunji-Davies, further assured the unions that affected workers would remain civil servants under the proposed arrangement.
She said workers would have the option of remaining at King’s College or transferring to other schools within Lagos State, depending on their preference.
According to her, a committee would be established to oversee the transition, ensure that relevant stakeholders were consulted and protect the heritage and objectives of the institution.
The TUC General Secretary, Nuhu Toro, said the unions’ major concern was to understand what the proposed “concessioning” arrangement meant and how it would affect workers.
Toro said the controversy had earlier resulted in an instruction for workers in unity schools and King’s College to down tools.
He, however, said interventions at the highest level had brought the government and labour representatives to the negotiating table.
The union leader said labour was committed to resolving the matter through dialogue, particularly because any disruption to academic activities could disproportionately affect children from poor and less-privileged families.
“We are on the same page on the future of our children,” Toro said.
The meeting was ongoing as of the time of filing the report, with the Education Ministry maintaining that concerns raised by the unions would be addressed within the law and the framework of the government’s education reforms.
Established in 1909, King’s College, Lagos, is one of Nigeria’s oldest government-owned secondary schools and is part of the Federal Government’s unity school system.
