The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in Kaduna has expressed its commendation for the state government’s decision to reinstate public school teachers who were previously sacked due to a competency test.
The move, which was approved by the Kaduna State Universal Basic Education Board (KADSUBEB) in April 2023, reinstated a total of 1,288 primary school teachers.
Hauwa Mohammed, the spokesperson for KADSUBEB, explained that the reinstatement came after a thorough examination and verification of the teachers’ complaints.
“Having examined and verified their complaints, the state government approved the reinstatement,” Mohammed stated.
Out of the reinstated teachers, 392 had successfully passed the competency test, while 515 central administration staff were officially exempted from the evaluation.
Additionally, 298 teachers who were confirmed to be ill at the time of the test were included in the reinstatement.
Notably, 61 teachers who had been kidnapped or involved in accidents were also given the opportunity to return to their positions.
On the other hand, 22 teachers who had been permanently removed from the payroll due to unsubstantiated claims were equally reinstated.
In response to the reinstatement, Adamu Kaltungo, the state secretary of NUT, expressed gratitude to the government for its “kind gesture” in recalling the affected teachers.
Kaltungo further highlighted the positive impact the reinstatement would have on addressing the teacher-pupil ratio imbalance within the public primary school sector.
“The reinstatement will go a long way in bridging the gap of the teacher-pupil ratio being experienced,” Kaltungo acknowledged in a letter dated April 5.
