Writing by AMINU DALHATU; Editing by BASIRAT MEMUDU
Zamfara State government has confirmed the disengagement of 109 contracted teachers for their failure to abide by the contract terms.
The Executive Chairman of Zamfara State Teachers Service Board, Alhaji Muhammad Aliyu Anka stated this while addressing newsmen in Gusau over the sacking of the teachers.
Alhaji Muhammad Anka, explained that some of the teachers had abandoned their duty post to teach in private schools while still collecting salaries from the government.
He lamented that, many of the teachers were not attending the schools to teach, leaving volunteers to teach the pupils in their absence.
“The agreement was that if a teacher had six months remaining on their contract, they should apply for renewal and most of the teachers failed to apply for renewal and they are no longer interested in the job.
“They been paying their salaries and allowances to the teachers where schools were not functioning because of this issue of banditry.
“So, we recommended to the State government to terminate the contracts of teachers who did not abide by the rules and regulations of the Board.”
The Chairman of the Board also refuted the allegations that they were disengaged before the stipulated period of their contract, emphasising that, their disengagement followed the expiration of their contract tenure.
According to him, findings by the board indicated that majority of the disengaged teachers are not qualified to teach in classrooms.
Alhaji Muhammad Aliyu Anka further disclosed that, Zamfara state government has concluded arrangements to recruit 2,000 qualified indigent teachers to fill the existing gaps in the teaching profession.
“The Zamfara state Teachers Service Board under my stewardship, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and the state Universal Basic Education Board are committed to ensure that only qualified teachers teach in all our schools”.
He emphasized that, the board had discovered many young unemployed youth that have degrees, NCE and other teaching related field of studies and it have no alternative than to engage them into teaching profession to be self reliant particularly those around the school communities.
Similarly, some of the disengaged teachers who spoke to newsmen in Gusau decried how the state government through the state Teachers Services Board disengaged them after serving the state for many years.
They said majority of them did not conclude their contractual period and described their disengagement as unfair.
“Many of us have families and we don’t have any place to live than Zamfara state. We also did all what we could to know the motive behind our disengagement”.
The disengaged teachers also called on Zamfara state government headed by Governor Dauda Lawal to look into their case and consider re- engaging them.
