El-Rufai and the mass sack of ‘incompetent’ teachers

It is no more breaking that the Kaduna State Governor has taken a bold step to address the education crisis in Kaduna State. I commend him once again, no society will prosper without good education, and none has.

However people need to understand the situation on ground right now. The Governor has released a list of those who passed the competency test this week. They are said to have failed Primary IV exams, seems beyond re-trainable materials. El-Rufai has sacked over 21,000 primary teachers and will be replaced with another 25000 new recruits.

As at today, only 16,000 have applied (I don’t know how many will be found eligible). The opportunity is still on as the State hunt for massive 25000 quality teachers.

This morning and yesterday, pupils protested across the State over the sack of their ‘incompetent’ teachers calling the Governor names. Poor pupils!

If these teachers are to leave today, there will be no replacement in the schools. Not even those who couldn’t pass level IV primary exams. A Vice chancellor in this Country made that mistake recently, sacking contract lecturers under investigation in the middle of the semester with no alternative. The students will have the whole term to protest shouting Mai Rusau on the roads of Zaria and Kaduna. I heard a rumor about a 3-months’ notice, then they shall be released!

I’ve heard on genuine grounds that some good quality teachers that I’ve seen and supervised in classroom are said to have failed the exams. I’ve also heard a Masters graduate failed the ‘Class IV’ test. Miraculously, I’ve also heard of a teacher who made the list, I’m sure she won’t be able to read this (despite my poor English). My list is endless. Such exercises shouldn’t be politicized as the Governor himself said about the sector a whole. The answers leaked or the Nigerian way worked?

I’m sure the Governor has made up his mind to relieve some workers in the State, across the Ministries, other agencies and the Emirates. He should also mind the unemployment, poverty and crime rate across his State. Even then these teachers should be provided a soft landing, they are only incompetent, they didn’t kill anyone. The State can offer some loans, or whatever. Sacking a poor teacher who’s been working since 1998 in a day is a hard thing. I agree such men and women have no business in classrooms if we are really serious, but they have a full family to feed. They are victims of circumstances (created by the past PDP Government).

Even if the Government employs new teachers, with the pay scale, we might have another almost set of the same thing in the classrooms back. Who takes teaching job in Nigeria? Someone like me who’s find none. Such an honorable job! Once people find another job, they don’t think twice. Most of those who will get this are young graduates with zero or minimal education experience. Imagine been posted to Giwa from Chikun to teach Primary Science! I hope this time around the Governor will not spend another N8b feeding the school Kids with beans and yam but also training and equipping the new teachers. Muhammad Zaria. Malumfashi,