The Kaduna State government has asked sacked teachers to reapply for job in the ongoing recruitment of 25,000 new qualified teachers for public primary schools in the state.
Commissioner of Education in the state, Mr Jafaru Sani, announced this on Sunday during a press conference at his office in Kaduna.
This followed the sacking of more than 21,000 unqualified teachers by the state government after they failed a controversial competency test conducted by the government in June 2017.
Mr Sani said government has received at least 43,000 applications from prospective teachers in public schools in the state to fill up 25,000 vacancies.
He also asked any of the sacked teachers that feels qualified and interested in the teaching profession to reapply for a job in the ongoing recruitment of 25,000 new qualified teachers for public primary schools in the state.
The commissioner, who said about 12,000 of the sacked teachers had already reapplied, explained that the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) has introduced a continuous recruitment programme which gives a window of opportunity for every willing teacher to apply and be considered for the job.
On the suspension of the 10-day indefinite strike by the state chapter of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), he said the union did so on their own volition having seen the need to help save future generations from servitude by ensuring that quality public education is offered in the state.
The sacking of the teachers had sparked reactions from labour unions and groups within and outside Kaduna State.
Although the dust seems to be settling down following the suspension of the strike by the NUT, the state government maintained that the issue of sanitising public schools in the state was very crucial and required courage, honesty and sincerity.
In his words, Sani said: “On Monday, 15th January 2018, the government disclosed that the Kaduna State Universal Basic Education Board had completed marking the scripts of the 43,000 applicants that responded to our teacher recruitment notice.
“Yesterday, Saturday, 20th January 2018, SUBEB invited the over 27,000 applicants that were shortlisted after the first recruitment test for interviews from Wednesday, 24th January 2018. SUBEB is working to ensure that the first batch of teachers who meet the required standards of knowledge, training and certification are available for deployment in schools by February 2018.
“Once this batch of recruitment is successfully concluded, SUBEB will issue further notices as appropriate to enable the government to receive applications from interested candidates and to test, interview and employ new teachers in the numbers that are required to adequately service the 4250 public primary schools in the state.
“This necessary effort to recruit qualified teachers for our public primary schools met needless resistance from some quarters. But this government did not waiver because it has a duty to the two million children in public primary schools and their parents; to provide the children with a ladder for social mobility, buoyed by knowledge, skills and the personal attitudes that will enable them to compete in the race of life with utmost confidence and competence.
“The government led by Mr Nasir El-Rufai is firmly committed to the idea that the children of the poor are entitled to a decent education and is determined to enhance the teaching standards and the learning environment to attain this goal. Our public primary schools will no longer be the dumping ground for persons who have no business near any of our schools, not to mention being unfortunately mistaken for teachers.
“I wish to put on record our firm appreciation to the ordinary masses of Kaduna State, who as parents, understood that it is them and their offspring that will benefit from the reforms that we are undertaking in the education sector. The understanding and support of these parents ensured that all the sentiments and false narratives that were mobilised to compel us to knowingly retain or recall unqualified teachers had zero impact. We also express gratitude to our communities for their firm stance in favour of the right of young children to quality education.
“Anyone who expected that strike action would make us retreat from a position of principle was mistaken. It is our expectation that everyone in the education sector now recognises that there will be a relentless emphasis on teaching standards and that this government will not permit any slip. No vested interests will stand between our children and our obligation to train them well.
“In recruiting the 25,000 new teachers, there would be no compromise of standards in terms of testing and certificate verification.”
