Following the recent recall of teachers sacked last year by the Kaduna State Government over their failure of a competency test, the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools has urged the state government to adhere to due process when verifying teachers’ suitability.
NAPPS President, Mr. Yomi Otubela, who said this in a chat with our correspondent, noted that the recall of the sacked teachers by Governor Nasir El-Rufai was a welcome development, especially for the education system of the country.
Otubela said that the governor’s decision to reconsider his earlier stance on the matter was a clear indication that the move was people-oriented.
He said, “It is a welcome development for our educational system, and we appreciate the government of Kaduna State, especially Governor El-Rufai, for rescinding his decision. It shows that the decision is more people-oriented, because it has been rumored that some politicians wanted to fill the space of the sacked teachers by their own people.
“There are also rumors that it is a ploy to get a particular political party to have a feel of the current administration above other members of the society. So, if it’s people-oriented and development centered, with such a protest, the best thing any manager will do is to go back to the drawing board and see how they can better identify those poor teachers from those who are skillful.”
The NAPPS boss, however, noted that the conduct of such competency test, though may be policy, in as much as good it could be for the educational system of kaduna, it is expectedfor the education sector in Kaduna, should have been left for the only authority or body responsible for the screening or regulating of teaching or teachers’ activities.
Otubela said, “Information at our disposal is that neither the Teachers Registration Council nor a set of National Certificate of Education institutions like the College of Education nor education department of different universities were fully involved in that screening exercise, and if that is a true position, then one can argue that the exercise was not conducted by professionals certified to screen people wanting to be teachers.
“Lastly, we want to believe that both the labour group and government have shown commitment to the development of education in Kaduna, and the development, at the moment, is a good one.”
