The Kaduna State Universal Basic Education Board (KADSUBEB) has started issuing dismissal letters to primary school teachers who did not sit for the competency test conducted for them in December 2021, it was learnt.
The Board had on May 26, 2022, commenced the issuance of query letters to the teachers accusing them of “disobedience to lawful instruction” and “refusal to take the competency test”.
Sources within the State chapter of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) alleged that “up to 6,000” will be affected by the sack exercise.
The dismissal letter reads: “Following your deliberate disobedience to lawful instructions by the Kaduna State Government and refusal to take the Competency Test for teachers, which is a serious misconduct and in contravention of the Public Service Rule 04401 (i), you are dismissed from the Kaduna State Public Service with effect from 1st June. 2022.
“You are to hand over any Government property in your possession to the Head Teacher in the school where you teach or the acting Education Secretary, as the case may be.
“The Board wishes you success in your future endeavours.”
Recall that in October 2017, the Kaduna State Government sacked 21,780 primary school teachers saying they failed the competency test conducted for them in June of the same year. The State’s NUT chapter protested the action of the State government, with the support of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and other unions in November 2017.
In December 2017, the National Industrial Court in Kaduna halted the sack of the primary school teachers based on a motion of interlocutory injunction filed by the teachers asking the court to restrain the government from dismissing or disengaging any teacher in the state on the basis of the test, pending the determination of their suit.
Justice Lawal Mani (now late) granted the application. The case was adjourned to February 6th, 2018. But the judge died in March 2018, leading to the stalling of the case.
Meanwhile, the State Government in March 2018 announced that it had recruited 25,000 qualified teachers in place of the 22,000 it sacked. It also, in collaboration with Teacher Development Programme (TDP) conducted an induction and orientation programme for the new teachers “to familiarise them with the national teaching curriculum”.
A member of the NUT in Kaduna State told newsmen that their refusal to sit for the competency test in 2021 was not a show of disobedience as the government said. It was gathered that some teachers shunned the NUT and sat for the competency test.
One of the teachers in Kaduna North Local Government said about 45 of them are affected in the LGA.
Attempts to speak to officials of the Kaduna State Universal Basic Education Board were unsuccessful.
