KWARA STATE GOVT DENIES SACKING OVER 700 TEACHERS

The Kwara State government has denied reports that it has sacked teachers alleged to have been illegally employed by the Kwara state Teaching Service Commission, TESCOM.

In a telephone interview with PREMIUM TIMES on Friday, Muyideen Akorede, Senior special assistant to the state governor on media and communication, said the government has no plan to sack teachers.
Mr. Akorede explained that Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed has rather directed TESCOM to regularize the employment of the teachers.
There had been reports that about 700 teachers alleged to have been illegally employed by the Commission had been laid off by the state government.
“That’s not true,” Mr. Akorede said in response to PREMIUM TIME’s inquiry.
He explained further that although the personnel were recruited into the Commission in 2014 without approval, the government has directed that there employment be regularised.
According to him, the governor also directed that the employment of 63 teachers, which was approved, but not implemented should also be normalized.
Earlier on Thursday, the state government had said that while Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed frowned at the unauthorized employment and had approved sanctions for the erring officials, he is reluctant to throw the affected staff into the unemployment market.
A statement by the governor’s media aide, Mr. Akorede, had stressed that following Mr. Ahmed’s directive, TESCOM is to conduct relevant processes for the normalization of employment of the affected personnel, who include both teaching and non-teaching staff.
“With regard to teaching staff, emphasis will be on those with qualifications in Maths, English and Science subjects,” the statement said.
According to the statement, the processes include certificate verification and other due processes that must be followed in the recruitment of staff into TESCOM.
Governor Ahmed had in 2014 given TESCOM approval to employ 449 staff for Mathematics, English and core Science disciplines to cater for the shortfall of teachers in those subjects as well as security guards.
However, the Administrative Panel of Inquiry set up by the State government discovered that the Commission illegally recruited more staff than the 449 approved by the governor.
Meanwhile, the statement noted that the affected personnel’s employment would be regularized upon confirmation of their suitability and eligibility for employment into the Commission.

REFERENCE: PREMIUM TIMES NG.