The Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), have condemned the plan by the Kaduna government to sack over 21,000 teachers for failing a competency test conducted in the state for Teachers.

The National President of the Union, Michael Alogba Olukoya stated this in Abakaliki, Ebonyi, after the National Executive Council meeting of the Union on Friday.

Highlights:

• The Union said that not only did the test not pass the test and measurement standard but, also it was illegal and unconstitutional.
• “The Nigerian Union of Teachers totally condemn the decision by Kaduna State Government to sack over 21,000 teachers from its employment over purported incompetence based on an unstructured competency test. The Union strongly rejects in its entirety the purpose, intent, process and the outcome of the exercise and hereby call for the immediate cancellation of the results of the competency test”.
• “It is common knowledge that teaching is a profession regulated by a statutory and competent body – (TRCN) – which is saddled with the responsibility of administering tests and the registration of Teachers. To do anything otherwise by the state government in this regard is an infringement on the profession and the extant laws of the land”.

Olukoya adds:

“Teachers are Democrats, Kaduna state government should respect the rule of law. They don’t have to wake up from the comfort of their room and administer question for teachers in the name of interviews, it is never done. Whatever we have to do, let it be in the rule of law, we should do things that are legal. Anybody could call dog bad name because you want to hang it. The government of Kaduna has made up their minds to embarrass the teachers, to disgrace the teachers”.

“There are rules that govern tense and measurements; measurement is a course of its own in education. When you are not a professional you are administering questions for teachers that are professionals, it is never done. The test that is being administered by Kaduna state government has not passed tense and measurement questions, there are not standard questions”.

“Let me say this without being the modest. Governor El’ Rufai is one of the people that are outspoken among the governors today. But when it comes to democratic traits, we are disappointed. We have written him even before now. Nigeria Labour Congress has written him. There is no organization that has not written to Governor El’Rufai but here you are. And we now begin to look at his antecedents. Even if you want to bring a change, it has to follow procedure and what we are saying is that Governor Rufai has been written but he has not replied us”.

The Union vowed to vehemently resist the planned mass sack of teachers of the Kaduna state government.

The Teachers also gave an ultimatum to states owing teachers salaries to clear them before the end of the year.

Omoleye Omoruyi

Omoleye Omoruyi… an apprentice web/game developer, novelist, sensitive to happenings in the world. Meet him @Lord_rickie on Twitter/Instagram