The Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Chapter, has dissociated itself from the indefinite strike declared by the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), FCT Wing, urging secondary school teachers and education officers to report to their classrooms and resume their normal duties.
The union made its position known in a statement issued on Wednesday by its State Executive Council (SEC) following an emergency meeting to review the industrial action declared by the NUT FCT Wing.
Rejecting the stay-at-home directive, ASUSS said the academic interests of students should not be compromised by industrial disputes, describing the strike as premature and detrimental to educational stability in the territory.
On the issues raised by the NUT, ASUSS presented its position on three key areas underlying the dispute.
The union said the vacancy requirement remained a statutory provision of the Public Service Rules (PSR) governing establishment control and financial planning, stressing that changes to career structures should be addressed through administrative dialogue.
ASUSS also said the administrative framework for the affected teachers had been resolved, noting that the 2025 promotion exercise would run concurrently with the 2026 promotion cycle under the FCT Civil Service Commission, in line with circulars issued in September 2026.
On the redeployment of education agency directors to classrooms, the union maintained that such decisions fell within management’s statutory powers to ensure administrative order.
ASUSS further alleged that the strike could disrupt the scheduled 2025/2026 promotion examinations for FCT Education Officers.
The union urged all eligible education officers to participate in the promotion examinations according to the published timetable.
It also appealed to parents and guardians across the FCT to send their children to school, assuring them that academic activities would continue.
The ASUSS FCT Chapter directed secondary school principals, vice-principals and education officers to keep schools open for academic and administrative activities.
It instructed teachers to report to their respective classrooms and carry out their normal duties, while asking school authorities to monitor attendance and maintain a safe and conducive learning environment for students.
The union further directed its members to disregard instructions from what it described as unauthorised bodies seeking to disrupt the academic calendar.
ASUSS said students should not become victims of industrial disputes and urged all parties to resolve the issues through dialogue and established administrative procedures.
