Kwara State government has explained why it disengaged 2,414 teachers from the service of the State Universal Basic Education Board.

The teachers’ disengagement was announced in a statement titled, ‘Kwara govt takes stand on 2019 SUBEB workers, offsets pending seven months’ salaries. New employment portal opens January.’

The statement was signed by the Press Secretary, state Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development, Mr Yakub Ali-Agan.

The statement indicted that the sacked teachers were recruited in the twilight of the administration of former Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed.

The teachers were employed to teach English, Mathematics, and science subjects in junior secondary schools in the state.

However, the state government said although it had earlier screened the teachers and cleared 1,658 of them, it was later discovered that the majority of them were not qualified to teach.

The statement read, “For instance, it was discovered that some of the 1,658 [teachers] purportedly adjudged to be qualified did not, in fact they don’t have the required teaching certificates.

It was discovered that the teachers were engaged for subjects not covered in the executive approval, underscoring the unwholesome and impeachable nature of the entire process.

“Following from the above, the government has decided to start the employment process all over again in January 2021. The government will open a new application portal for all the 2,414 and any other eligible persons to apply for SUBEB teaching jobs in relevant subjects to be advertised. This effectively nullifies the controversial employment process of 2018/2019

The statement further explained that the decision to sack the teachers was built on justice and fairness to everyone, particularly taxpayers, and children, whose future depended on the quality of teaching they received at the elementary schools.

Meanwhile, the state governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, has directed the immediate payment of seven months’ salaries earlier withheld from 594 SUBEB teachers since June 2020.

“The salaries were paid on Thursday night on compassionate grounds as their employment status remains unofficial,” a government statement said on Thursday.

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