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From Ola Muhammad, Birnin Kebbi
The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Kebbi State chapter, has commended Governor Nasir Idris for digitising primary education in the state.
The state chairman of the union, Alhaji Zaki Sarki, stated this while briefing newsmen in Birnin Kebbi.
Sarki explained that the gesture has not only enhanced teaching and learning but has transformed basic education in the state.
The NUT chairman said the governor himself, who was also a teacher and a unionist who rose through the ranks to become national president of the NUT, has made education one of his priorities.
According to him, the governor provided Android phones to the headteachers in all 2,014 primary schools across the state, apart from distributing over 4,000 tablets to pupils to enhance teaching and learning.
“We are also applauding the governor for supplying furniture worth N7.2 billion to primary schools across the state to make teaching and learning more conducive,” he said.
The governor’s actions, according to him, demonstrate the determination of the Idris-led administration to revamp basic education.
He said: “For over 20 years, primary school teachers did not have any salary increment, but when Governor Nasir Idris came on board, he carefully and successfully addressed many of our challenges.”
Speaking on teachers’ salary, Sarki recalled that primary school teachers had complained about disparity between primary and secondary school teachers.
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“The governor immediately set up a committee to look into the issue, ascertain the actual strength of professional teachers in the state and to find out the discrepancies in the salary. And I am privileged to be a member of the committee.
“Immediately after we submitted our report, a white paper was released to that effect, normalising the discrepancies between secondary and primary school teachers,” he said.
He, however, acknowledged that some teachers might have complaints about the achievements because there were complaints that some teachers didn’t see any increment.
“Remember, according to the rules of the teaching profession, for you to qualify as a teacher you must have a minimum qualification of National Certificate in Education (NCE).
“Those with such complaints may fall into the category of unprofessional teachers (those with non-teaching qualifications), or fall into the category of some teachers who don’t report to their duty posts.
“Therefore, anybody who feels otherwise should go back to the drawing board and examine himself whether he/she falls into the categories of non-professional teachers or doesn’t go to work,” he advised.
The chairman said those who didn’t enjoy the new increment might fall into such categories.
“Let me use this medium to inform the general public that 17,620 teachers across the state got an increment in their salaries,” he said.
Sarki also lauded the Kebbi State Government for implementing a minimum wage of N75,000, which is above the FG’s N70,000.
“We also want to appreciate the governor for expending N7.2 billion on primary school furniture to enhance a conducive atmosphere for teaching and learning,” he said.
