Niger uncovers 5, 665 unqualified teachers in primary, secondary schools

Niger State has uncovered 5, 665 unqualified teachers in primary and secondary schools across the state.

The chairman of the technical committee on the teachers’ headcount, Labaran Garba, made this known when he presented the report of this year’s headcount to Governor Abubakar Sani Bello in Government House, Minna.

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He said of the total of 24, 061 teachers in 3, 135 primary schools, 4, 703 were unqualified while 962 teachers out of 6, 870 teachers in 498 secondary schools in the state were also unqualified.

Garba noted that 1, 276 local government education administrative staff members were with teaching qualifications.

The committee recommended that the teachers’ headcount be conducted every three years to enable effective and efficient educational planning in the state.

Receiving the report, the governor assured the qualified teachers of due attention but said the unqualified ones should be taken out of the system or be given an option to go back to school and acquire the necessary qualifications.

He admitted that teachers were suffering due to poor working conditions and pledged to give them the necessary support to motivate them.

“The number of unqualified teachers is high – over 4,000. We should take them out but we can also give them the option to be trained and come back,” he said.

While commending the committee for a good job, the governor directed the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Ahmed Ibrahim Matane, to immediately constitute an implementation committee on the recommendations of headcount committee.