Following protests by school
children, Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC and Nigerian Union of Teachers, NUT
against the Kaduna State government over sacking of 21,000 alleged unqualified
teachers, the state government said it will file complaints for criminal
violations of several sections of the Penal Code.
“The Kaduna State Government is
filing complaints for criminal violations of several sections of the Penal
Code, including:• Section 59: Criminal Conspiracy• Section 73: Promoting
Unlawful Assembly• Section 77: Disturbance of Public Peace• Section 78:
Inciting Disturbance• Section 162: Obstruction on Public Way,” the state
Permanent Secretary ministry of education, Adamu Mansur said while briefing
newsmen in Kaduna.
“Charges may also be filed for
violations of the Young Persons’ Law.“The Kaduna State Government is committed
to doing the things that are necessary and consequential in the public
interest.
“Security and law-enforcement
agencies have the names of the individuals to be investigated for the organized
actions that endangered school pupils, forcibly closed schools and attacked the
Kaduna State House of Assembly.
“NUT officials were previously
warned about the consequences of illegal activity, including the unlawful use
of pupils for protests, forcible closure of schools and engaging in
unauthorized demonstrations.
“The shameful events at the
Kaduna State House of Assembly when union thugs destroyed public property and
attacked honorable members is a visible and dangerous escalation,” he
explained.
He emphasized that nothing would
deter the government from recruiting qualified teachers, while giving
disengaged teachers the entitlements specified in their terms of service.
Mansur explained that the Kaduna
State government had resolved to upgrade the quality of education in the state,
stressing that the state government stands firmly by the long-term interests of
the two million pupils in public primary schools, and would not be derailed by
the agitation of 21,000 unqualified teachers.
He said the process of recruiting
25,000 new teachers was going well, adding that reports of serial criminal
actions that have taken place in the last three days, names of individuals
putting pupils at risk, disrupting schools and vandalizing public property have
been forwarded to the law-enforcement agencies.
The Permanent Secretary explained
that the government would not allow anyone to get away with criminal activity
under the cover of industrial relations.
“The Kaduna State government
wishes to thank the public for supporting its quest to deliver quality
education in public schools. This includes recruiting qualified teachers for
the public primary schools. So far, more than 17,000 applications have been
received by the Kaduna State Universal Basic Education Board and more are
expected before the deadline of 19th November 2017.
“The government today reviewed
the situation in primary schools across the state. This review included a
meeting with the Executive Secretaries of all the 23 local government education
authorities. Government is satisfied that a majority of the primary schools in
the state are functioning as normal.
“However, government continues to
receive disturbing reports of criminal activities being undertaken in the name
of union activities. Some of these activities include the following: The NLC
led thugs to vandalise the Lugard Hall premises of the Kaduna State House of
Assembly. Officials of trade unions forcibly closing schools such as the
Katsina Road LEA School and sending the pupils to the streets. Blockage of
highways by pupils and secondary school students, at the behest of their
teachers; Abdication of duty by some teachers who have left their pupils
unattended.
”We have a responsibility to
deliver quality education to the two million pupils in our public schools. The
parents of these two million pupils have confidence in the reforms taking place
in the Education sector.Therefore, retaining unqualified teachers on the pay
roll is an abdication of duty. The responsible thing to do is to disengage them
on terms in their conditions of service and replace them with qualified
persons,” he observed.
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