The Government of Kaduna State in December 2021 conducted a competency test to test the ability and capability of its primary school teachers.
Unfortunately, according to the spokesperson of the Kaduna State Universal Education Board, about 2,192 didn’t sit for the test, and as a result, about 2,357 teachers were sacked out of 30,000 who sat for the test.
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This is a step taken by the government to sanitise the education sector. It’s obvious that the basic educational stage (primary) has turned into a dumping ground where unqualified persons are dumped to mislead our young ones.
Primary schools are supposed to be places where the greater future is built. Hence special attention needs to be paid to the pupils. I believe those teachers who could not pass the competency test are not in a proper position to do that.
The Kaduna State government needs to be applauded for this great move because it’s a way of separating the wheat from the chaff.
In developed climes, this is considered a serious business. In addition, it is a stage where potentials in kids are exploited and also given the required help and support to exploit those potentials the more.
One wonders how for all these long years, our siblings and wards had been fed with “crippled” knowledge. This explains the reason behind the mass failure of our students in external exams such as WAEC, JAMB, NECO and among others.
I will, therefore urge other state governments in the country to conduct similar competency tests to fish out incompetent teachers and show them the way out.
Mujahideen Adamu Ali, Department of Mass Communication, University of Maiduguri
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