During an education summit, Commissioner for Education Alhaji Usman Mohammed revealed that approximately 1,300 teachers in Kaduna, Nigeria have failed tests that were designed for primary four pupils.
The Commissioner stated, “A total of 1,599 teachers selected from across the state were given primary four tests in mathematics and basic literacy. Only one of them scored 75%, 250 scored between 50-75%, and over 1,300 scored below 25%.”
The same test was performed on 1,800 primary school students, who failed in even higher numbers than their teachers. Mohammed continued to explain the large failing rate, stating, “We are not surprised about the performance of the pupils because how can they know it when their teachers don’t know it.”
The Chairman of Kaduna’s House Committee on Education, Yunusa Mohammad, estimated that, out of the 36,000 teachers in the state, 15,000 are unqualified.
Fingers are being pointed in every direction. One theory, by the Commissioner, suggests that the provincial nature the hiring of teachers encourages underhanded dealings and political patronage in employment. This leads to poor instructors.
Kaduna State Governor Alhaji Mukhtar Ramalan Yero issued a stern mandate, saying, “The teachers are yours; you employed them and promote them when necessary. So, they are yours. I urge you, the local government chairmen, to look critically at the workforce and try to eliminate those that are not qualified. If you allow the situation to continue like this, the sector will collapse.”
