Why we sacked 4,000 teachers - Gov Yakowa

Kaduna State governor, Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa, has explained why he decided to sack about 4,000 primary and secondary schools teachers, arguing that his government is set to ensure a vibrant education sector in the state.

“The state government has also enacted a law on Quality Control in the pursuit of quality teaching that can bring the required development to our children,” Yakowa said yesterday during the national graduation and award ceremony of the National Teachers’ Institute (NTI), Kaduna.

According to him, “We have not spared any effort that can ensure that our teachers are exposed to best practices through continuous training.

“We have also established benchmarks for literacy and numeracy at the primary school levels, and to ensure that only the best and qualified teachers remain in the classrooms, the state has undertaken the following steps.


“We have assessed and verified the quality of all teachers in both primary and secondary schools, which showed us that nearly 50 per cent of teachers in our primary schools lack the required qualifications to teach. The verification also revealed that about 4,000 teachers were employed with fake certificates. The affected teachers have since been sacked.

“This, indeed, is very alarming as it portends serious danger to the future of the young generations we hope will take over from us. The quality of education we require for our children is too dear for us to toy with.

“We could only leave our children in the hands of qualified teachers that can deliver and help to transform their lives.

“As such, no effort is being spared in ensuring that only the most qualified teachers, both academically and professionally, are allowed to teach in our schools, because for us in Kaduna State, education ranks very high in our development programmes.

“For those remaining, we have also assessed their needs, which we are in process of addressing through aggressive training, and we want to thank the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and Education Sector Support Programme in Nigeria (ESSPIN) for the wonderful help we have been getting from them.

“The development of the roadmap paved way for us to revamp the sector and improve the system beyond what was on ground.

“Funds have been injected into the sector for various projects, which include expansion and rehabilitation of government schools and libraries in the three senatorial zones, building of classrooms, supply of science equipment and furniture for use by public schools.

“It is because we are convinced that teachers are the key factor in any learning situation, we, therefore, associate ourselves with any effort to develop teachers’ quality.”

Minister of Education, Professor Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufa’I, said in a statement delivered at the occasion that the Federal Government would establish a National Commission for Distance Education (NACDE).

She told the graduating students to prove their mettle and utilise the education received at the institute.


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