No fewer than 800 primary school teachers in Ogun State may be dismissed from service on allegation of certificate forgery.

Also, the government has uncovered 527 ‘ghost’ workers in the state primary school system.

The state government also uncovered several cases of falsification of age among the primary school teachers in the ongoing teachers’ headcount exercise in the state.

Our correspondent gathered that the ‘ghost’ teachers included some persons whose salaries were still being paid several years after their death and others who allegedly did not have the minimum teaching qualification of the National Certificate of Education.

It was learnt that following these discoveries, the state government embarked on a secondary review aimed at confirming the authenticity of the certificates and attestation letters submitted by 6,531 teachers during the audit exercise.

Our correspondent, however, gathered that in order to escape dismissal and prosecution, many of the affected teachers submitted their resignation letters while many others applied for voluntary retirement from service.

Confirmning the development, Chairman, Ogun State Universal Basic Education Board, Mufutau Ajibola, said the state government had resolved to deal with the teachers involved in accordance with the law.

Ajibola stated that those already identified would be handed over to the police for prosecution, warning that the government would not accept the voluntary resignation of such teachers from service.

“Ogun State will not accept resignation from those who have already been identified as fraudulent. Such cases will be referred to the police and will be prosecuted. For someone to teach the children when he or she does not have even the minimum qualification is a serious and deliberate act of fraud, not just financial fraud but moral fraud too,” he said.

Citing the case of a teacher who had been presenting a statement of result instead of his original certificate since he was employed in 1978, Ajibola said, “Such a case is highly suspicious because in 1978, there was no backlog in the issuance of degree certificates.”

The SUBEB boss also expressed worry at the rising incidence of falsification of birth certificates, impersonation and the non-appearance of over 223 teachers during the screening exercise which lasted for four weeks.

Ajibola, however said to ensure the treatment of the cases of the affected teachers fairly, the state government had set up a panel under the office of the head of service to hear any appeal arising from the process.

He, therefore, assured the tutors that the panel, which include representatives of a number of agencies and the relevant union, would give the affected teachers the chance to have their cases reviewed.

source..http://www.punchng.com/news/800-ogun-teachers-face-dismissal-for-certificate-forgery/

Ajibola stated that those already identified would be handed over to the police for prosecution, warning that the government would not accept the voluntary resignation of such teachers from service.

“Ogun State will not accept resignation from those who have already been identified as fraudulent. Such cases will be referred to the police and will be prosecuted. For someone to teach the children when he or she does not have even the minimum qualification is a serious and deliberate act of fraud, not just financial fraud but moral fraud too,” he said.

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