Breaking: Kaduna state gov’t sacks 233 teachers over fake certificates
The Kaduna State Government has sacked no fewer than 233 teachers and immediately scheduled fresh competency test for 12,254 others.
Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board, Tijjani Abdullahi, disclosed this on Thursday in Kaduna during a press conference.
He explained that the teachers were sacked after inquiries from the institutions they claimed to have attended, which showed that they presented fake certificates.
“So far, the Board has verified 451 certificates by contacting the institutions that awarded the certificates. Nine of the 13 institutions contacted have responded, as of today.
“The responses from the institutions show that 233 teachers presented fake certificates. This represents 51% of the 451 certificates on which responses have been received from the awarding institutions. One institution disowned 212 of these 233 fake certificates.
“The Board will dismiss the 233 teachers who presented these fake certificates, while their files will be forwarded to the Ministry of Justice to initiate prosecution for forgery.
“The Board will continue to check the integrity of the certificates presented by teachers to ensure that this critical profession is not devalued by impostors.
“As part of our duty of transparency, the names of the 233 teachers found to have presented fake certificates will be uploaded on the website of the Kaduna State Government today,” he added.
The decision to investigate the certificates of the teachers, the SUBEB Chairman explained, commenced in April 2021 as part of the board’s responsibility to ensure that all teachers actually have the qualifications they presented.
According to him, the major objective of the exercise is to ensure that all teachers have the requisite credentials that constitute the basic qualifications for employment as teachers.
The Board Chairman also explained that the fresh competency test for 12,254 teachers which will begin from January 2022 was part of continuous assessment of its teachers both for their own improvement and for better delivery of learning.
Periscope International recalls that the state government had in 2017 recruited 25,000 new teachers after it controversially sacked over 22,000 unqualified ones following a competency.
