2,286 primary school teachers work with fake certificates in Niger

No fewer than 2,286 primary school teachers were using questionable certificates in Niger state, according to the 2020 Staff Audit Committee constituted by the State Universal Basic Education Board (NSUBEB).

Ayuba Katako, Central Chairman of the Committee, made this known on Monday, during the presentation of the 2020 Staff Audit report to the board’s management of NSUBEB in Minna.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the board’s management had in June set up a six-man committee to audit both teaching and non-teaching staff members of NSUBEB across the 25 Local Government Areas of the state.

Katako said that there were 28,058 staff in the primary schools across the state, adding that 26,00 7 of them were screened, out of which 23,721 were cleared and fit to work with SUBEB.

He noted that 2,286 of these primary school teachers were using questionable certificates as some of them could not read and write.

“When they heard that screening was going on they just came to clear themselves and they are on the payroll.

“Some of them went to roadside business centres to print out certificates and we could not ascertain their authenticity,” he said.

He disclosed that most of these certificates were reading National Teachers’ Institute (NTI), Kaduna and did not resemble the actual certificates issued by NTI.

Katako, however, noted that the committee also discovered pending promotion of teachers, and in Zone A, teachers with PhD were the ones teaching in classrooms while those with Masters were the ones in the office.

Responding, Dr Adamu Isah, the state Chairman of SUBEB, commended the committee for conducting the exercise effectively, and said that the board would follow due diligence of civil service rules to take decision on those found wanting.

He added that any teacher who could neither write nor read would be disengaged as teachers and engaged in another field.

“These people will be engaged as cleaners, nannies and some at local government offices in accordance with their capacities,” he said.

Isah noted that they would get in touch with the institutions issuing those certificates to confirm their authenticity and anyone whose certificate was not authentic would have the appointment terminated.

He, however, gave assurance that the report of the committee would be implemented.

Also, Alhaji Kabiru Abbas, Board Member II, commended the committee and said that the report “brings an end to all allegations and insinuations from the public”.(NAN)