A day after the protest by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) in Kaduna to stop the sack of over 21 000 Primary School Teachers by the Mallam Nasir El-Rufai’s led administration, the governor has said that the children of the poor have a right to descent and quality education.
Reacting to the protest by the NLC and the indefinite strike embarked by the Kaduna State chapter of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) in a televised broadcast on Friday, the governor said that his administration is determined to fix public education and raise their standards so that private education will only become a luxury.
He also decried the hypocrisy of some critics who want unqualified teachers to be retained, saying that many of them do not send their children to public schools.
A total number of 21, 780 teachers were sacked last year after they failed to attain the required cut off mark in a competent test conducted by the state government.
‎The effected teachers had on 15th December 2017, procured an injunction from the National Industrial Court to stop the sack. ‎
‎A transcript of the broadcast read in part: “Many of the people who want us to retain unqualified teachers do not send their children to public schools”
‎”Many of the teachers in public schools send their children to private schools because they lack confidence in the schools that they teach”
‎”We denounce the hypocrisy of critics who send their children to quality private schools but argue for the retention of these unqualified teachers”
‎”We need to remind such persons that the children of the poor also have a right to descent and quality education ”
‎” We are determined to fix public education and raise their standards so that private education will only become a luxury”
‎”As we make progress, we require that our senior officials enroll their children in public schools”
‎ “I will, as personal example, ensure that my son that will be six years of age in 2019 will be enrolled in a public school in Kaduna state by God’s grace”
‎”One of our goals is to ultimately have only graduates as primary school teachers”
‎”We will ensure that the National Certificate in Education (NCE) gives way to first and second degree as minimum teacher’s qualification”
‎
