Gov el-Rufai’s ‘primary education reforms’ in tatters!

By Maryam Musa

In the year 2016 Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State initiated a reform in primary education sub-sector of the state. This followed his realization that majority of those employed to teach in the state’s primary schools were not competent – some in terms of qualification and others in terms of effective delivery.

As part of that reform, Gov. El-Rufai conducted a written examination or test as was case for all Primary school teachers in the state. Results of that test initiated the sacking of over 22, 000 teachers across the state for failing to score a minimum of 75 percent.

The government then called for application from interested graduates and NCE holders to fill in the vacuum created by the exit of those sacked. With a promise to recruit 25,000 new teachers in place of the sacked 22,000, the Kaduna SUBEB swung into action and recruited mostly fresh graduates and NCE holders and deployed them to the various primary schools across each and every local government area of the state.

With this, El-Rufai was set for a complete reform even as he went into the physical renovation of most schools and the introduction of the school feeding programme that was short lived.Then came the appearance of Kaduna State sponsored Billboards saying: “Dole Dan Talaka ya sami ingantaccen ilimi,” meaning ‘children of the poor must get access to quality education’. These billboards dotted many prominent locations in many major towns and cities of Kaduna state. Alas, instead of joy, happiness and enthusiasm, a wave of disappointment and discontent greeted both the old and the new primary schools teachers.

First, the old teachers, who proved competent enough to have scored at least 75 percent in the examination and thought they will be accorded regard and consideration by the government, found themselves receiving less salaries, than their new counterparts. For instance, those employed with diploma and its equivalent that were employed on GL 06 are still receiving GL 06 salaries some 12 or more years into the service. This even after acquiring the NCE certificate and the mandatory Teacher Registration Council (TRC) document.

A male teacher at one of the primary schools in Kaduna North lamented: “I was employed with a diploma in 2008, I went for my NCE and completed since 2012 and I have my TRC registration certificate but I am still on GL 06, the same with those employed just yesterday with same NCE. Don’t forget I have passed all my promotional exams and I even have the promotion letters with me but no implementation. And I have since enrolled for my B.Ed degree which is in view”.

The concerned teacher said he and many others like him are generally disenchanted, disappointed and therefore question the nature and motive of the reform in the first place. Yet another old teacher who is also Head Master at one of the Primary Schools in Kaduna South LG told our Correspondent that her teachers are not happy and are therefore disappointed for so many reasons.

According to her, her teachers and in fact all teachers in Kaduna State are not happy that they are the last to get their salaries, saying “it is unfortunate that it is the teacher that always get paid last. Every civil servant in the state will receive their salaries by the month end, but we teachers we receive our own from the 10th of the following month, why?

“Secondly, we are fed up with unlawful and unwarranted deductions from our salaries that are paid late. After waiting for long to receive your salary to offset your debts, on getting paid you realize that your money is short by some N3,000, N6,000 and some even N11,000 for no known reason. And the irony of it is that once you are so shortchanged you will never get any refund even after your complain and your being asked to write formally.

“Let me tell you that apart from the unlawful deductions some will wait long for the monthly payment but all their colleagues will get bank alert except them. And again they will never get paid ones this is done. This is outright omission of individual names from the voucher and it is deliberate. If it affects me this month, next month it could be you,” she explained.

She then asked rather rhetorically whether Governor El-Rufai, the people’s governor, is aware of these happenings because according to her, his name is dragged into the story as being behind the illegal deductions.

Pundits argued that if this actually affects all the local government areas of the state with no exception, then who is exactly responsible and who are the fraudulent beneficiaries of the wanton sleaze?

The distressed teachers called on Governor El-Rufai to as a matter of urgency look into the matter with a view to ensuring proper amends, as for sure some people somewhere are bent on thwarting the governor’s efforts for achieving a successful primary education reform.