NSUBEB boss read riot acts to Primary, Junior secondary school teachers in Nasarawa
….orders sanctions against absentee Lafia Education Secretary
…vow to address shortage of teachers in schools
By Linus Oota, Lafia
Executive Chairman, Nasarawa State Universal Basic Education Board, NSUBEB Dr Kassim Muh’d Kassim has ordered that the Education Secretary of Lafia local government , Alhaji Usman Aliyu should report to his office immediately for absconding his duty when he chairman paid an unscheduled visit to schools under his jurisdiction.
Dr Kassim, who spoke during his unscheduled on-the-spot assessment of facilities in primary and junior secondary schools across the state vowed to arrest the ugly situation.
The visibly angry Chairman disclosed that the ES would be suspended to serve as deterrent to teachers who may want to sabotage his well packaged vision for basic education in the state, noting that his visit was to see things for himself and access the state of infrastructures, learning and teaching across primary and junior secondary schools across the state.
It was gathered that the ES, Usman Aliyu was not on seat to receive the Chairman and brief him about the state of affairs of primary schools under his jurisdiction.
Dr Kassim, who was accompanied by two permanent members and secretary of the board as well as all the Senior directors, arrived at the office on Tuesday at about 12 noon.
The NSUBEB boss was shocked to discover that the education secretary was not on seat to receive him and his team without any cogent reason for his absence. Upset at the development, he directed that the educational secretary should be invited immediately to report to his office within the week for explanations and disciplinary actions.
Expressing disappointment with what he described as an intolerable behavior of both the ES and other school teachers , Dr Kassim said the board was at a critical stage where all hands were needed to be on deck to actualize his vision for basic quality education for the children of Nasarawa State, adding that immediate actions would be taken against erring staff.
He said, if the government could honour its obligation to pay teachers as and when due, they were duty bound to reciprocate its gesture by coming to work early, stressing that they were always the first to cry foul when their salaries were not paid on time or certain allowances were denied.
“I’m not happy with what I am seeing because it is against our guidelines and civil service orientation, and I will not accept it because he is expected to be in the office, this is office hours, may be he thinks it is business as usual, but he won’t find it funny with me” he said
The Chairman who visited St Williams Primary School in Lafia where he was received by the head teacher, Mrs Docars Dambaba decried the level of encroachment into school lands and directed that such should stop immediately or the perpetrators will face sanctions.
At Isiaka Islamiya Primary School Lafia where about 50 teachers were Undergoing training, the NSUBEB boss encourage them to concentrate on the training as it was part of his administration policy to train and retrain teachers to acquaint them with modern knowledge in teaching so as to give the students the best.
The NSUBEB boss who proceeded to the Akwanga zone visited CMC Trans Nursery and Primary School Gudi where the “School Base Cluster Training” is taking place and had a fruitful interaction with them assuring them that the board under his leadership will address all their concerns.
Addressing a series of complaints received by the teachers about their challenges, decay infrastructure, lack of payment of training allowances, shortage of teachers and lack of instructional materials, Dr Kassim immediately granted approval for the payment of their training allowances.
On shortage of teachers, the new NSUBEB boss assured that in no distant time, the board will carry out recruitment of qualified teachers into the various primary schools in the state with strict warning that they must stay in the remote villages to manage the schools.
He also assured that all PTA teachers will be absorbed into full time jobs with the board, and urged them to exercise a little patience with him.
On the complaints about decay infrastructure in schools in the villages, the new NSUBEB boss expressed deep shock and disappointment at the deplorable state of facilities in primary and junior secondary schools mostly in the villages.
In a sudden exclamation at Akwanga Central Primary School, where the entire school building was blown off by the rain declared: ” there is need for prompt actions”.
He, however, reassured the management and teachers of all primary schools across the state of his unwavering commitment to fix the dilapidated structures and make it conducive for teaching and learning.
