EDUCATION How gov wins Kaduna teachers’ hearts
The Kaduna State Government recently announced salary increment for public primary and secondary school teachers to perk up their attitude to work and awaken their interest in student discipline and control; particularly in the classroom. The government also upgraded ageing classrooms and pledged to make available supportive resources and facilities for teaching and optimal learning.
In the new arrangement, teachers in the rural communities where truancy is said to be on the rise will earn higher compared to their urban counterparts to avoid teachers skipping school.
Prior to the increment, teachers grumbled about government’s resolution to push out thousands of their colleagues found to be incompetent.
The state Commissioner for Education, Science, and Technology, Ja’afaru Sani, said teachers’ salary had been increased by 32.5 per cent; explaining that 27.5 per cent would be added to all teachers’ salary while the other five per cent would serve as incentive for teachers posted to rural areas.
Sani also announced the provision of accommodation and motorcycle loans to teachers in the rural areas.
He said, “While head teachers would be given three-bedroom flats each, other teachers would get two-bedroom flats each with motorcycle loans to ease their transportation.”
While the state government, through the Ministry of Finance and the Budget and Planning Commission are still working on the modalities of the pay rise for teachers, Sani again, last week, announced tax waiver for all teachers in the public service.
He said Gov. Nasir el-Rufai has approved that effective from March 2018; all teachers in the state would no longer pay the Pay As You Earn (PAYE) tax.
“The tax has been waved so that it will have an impact on the increment of the net pay or take home pay of the teachers. Our teachers will experience increase in their salaries from the month of March because the PAYE element will not be deducted by the accountant general. This is just an interim measure until the new salary structure is out; then they will commence the payment of the tax,” he said.
“Government is really committed to improving the welfare of teachers employed under the state just as the newly recruited teachers will come on board with significantly higher salary than they would have received if PAYE was not waved,” he concluded.
Teachers in the state serving in public schools have happily embraced the development but like the doubting Thomas, some of them contacted seem unconvinced and declined to comment until the promise have been implemented. While they acknowledge the development as an incentive to motivate teachers to perform better, they prayed the government to ensure quick implementation.
A secondary school teacher said, “It is a nice development; we are happy because we will have better take home, but we want to see it implemented,” noting that many people were leaving the teaching profession because of poor pay and the fact that teachers were not being appreciated.
Another teacher in Kaduna North Local Government Area, who also pleaded anonymity, said the salary increment and tax waiver remained a political statement until they were implemented and sustained.
He, however, urged the state government to ensure payment of arrears owed some teachers, as well as leave grant.
He said, “It is good news and a welcome development; it is one thing to increase salary and it is another thing to be consistent in paying it. We also want the state government to provide teaching materials and a conducive environment for learning so that we can have a complete transformation.”
Governor El-Rufai, recently in a meeting at the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), assured the teachers their pride would be restored, noting that under the new reform, teachers could now progress up to Grade Level 17.
Gov. El-Rufai said, “We have just waved the PAYE for teachers because we desire to pay them higher than other civil servants. We will also make teachers in the rural areas comfortable by providing accommodation and ease transportation for them. All of these policies put in place will be of no use without quality teachers,” he said.