The Kaduna State Government says it has increased the salary of public school teachers by 32.5 per cent.
The State Commissioner for Education, Science, and Technology, Ja’afaru Sani, told reporters at his office on Thursday that the increment was part of ongoing reforms in the education sector.
He explained that 27.5 per cent would be added to all teachers’ salary while the other five per cent would serve as an incentive for teachers posted to rural areas.
Mr Sani noted that the increase in the salaries of teachers has placed them above other civil servants in the state, and it was aimed at attracting the best hands to the teaching profession.
He equally announced that free accommodation and other incentives would be provided for them, especially for those serving in rural communities.
According to the Commissioner, the state government took the measure in order to retain qualified and professional teachers posted to rural areas.
He also informed journalists that the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) would post the first batch of 10,000 newly recruited teachers to primary schools within the next two weeks.
The state government had said it would sack more than 21,000 teachers who fail failed a competency test conducted by SUBEB in June 2017.
The development drew mixed reactions from stakeholders in Kaduna State and other parts of the country, as some said it would help to save the future of the younger generation.
Despite the threat by the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) in the state, Governor Nasir El-Rufai insisted that there was no going back on the decision.
The NUT members later proceeded on an industrial action which lasted for about 10 days, during which they were joined by labour unions from across the country to protest the sacking of the teachers.
However, the government and the teachers’ union later came into terms in which the government said it was recruiting new teachers and asked affected members of the union who feel they are qualified enough to apply for the job.
Meanwhile, some of the applicants commended the process of recruitment into the teaching profession, which they said would enhance quality in the state’s education sector.
Source: News Agencies
