Plateau threatens to sack 11,000 teachers

The Plateau state government on Saturday  threatened to sack 11,000 unqualified teachers in its payroll.

Gov. Jonah Jang, who made the pronouncement in a media interaction  in Jos, said, 'government cannot continue to harbour people who cannot add value to education in the state.

'We have 7,000 teachers in the primary schools that are not qualified and another 4,000 that have no business going near our schools at all.

'The 7,000 were asked to improve upon their status but they have failed to do so and we have made up our mind to do away with the 11,000 put together.

'This administration had established some pivotal institutions that will help in training and churning out qualified teachers that can teach our primary pupils.''

Jang said that his administration had paid over N3.4 billion as counterpart funding to Universal Basic Education Commission and attracted a lot of projects as well as other benefits to the sector.

He said that the drive was aimed at transforming the educational sector and that anyone who was not fit for the journey 'must give way''.

The governor said that lifting the standard of education in the state was 'paramount' to the goals of his administration and that the government was ready to do all it could to give hope to the young generation.

He said that it was in that line that he established three special science schools and upgraded Government Technical School, Bukuru.

'Only qualified candidate will be admitted into the technical school and nothing less, no matter whose child is involved.

'Our goal is to ensure we do away with the rot in our educational system in the state knowing full well that education is the bedrock of any nation,'' he said. (NAN)