For presenting fake certificates to gain teaching employment, 233 primary school teachers in Kaduna State face dismissal.

The Kaduna State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) stated that the files of the 233 teachers with fake certificates would be forwarded to the Ministry of Justice for prosecution.

The fake certificates were that of five institutions: National Teachers’ Institute (NTI), Federal College of Education Zaria, Nuhu Bammali Polytechnic Zaria, Ameer Shehu Idris College and College Of Education, Gidan Waya.

In the procured fake certificates, the teachers’ claimed qualifications are: NCE, Diploma in Arabic Language, Diploma (Public Administration) and Diploma in Islamic Education.

The teachers with the fake certificates are spread across B/Gwari, Chikun, Giwa, Igabi, Ikara, Jaba, Jemaa, Kachia, Kaduna South, Kaduna North, Kagarko, Kaura, Kajuru, Kauru, Kubau, Kudan, Lere, Sanga, Makarfi, Soba, Zangon Kataf, and Zaria local government areas of Kaduna State.

Executive Chairman of the Board, Mr. Tijjani Abdullahi, who made this known at a news conference on Thursday in Kaduna, said that the measure was to ensure standard in public basic schools.

Abdullahi said that the board had in April began certificate verification exercise as part of its responsibility to ensure that all teachers possess the qualifications they presented during recruitment.

He said the board had so far verified 451 certificates by contacting 13 awarding institutions, nine of which had responded.

He said that the responses showed that 233 teachers presented fake certificates.

The chairman also revealed that one of the institutions had disowned 212 teachers who claimed to have obtained their certificates from the institution.

“For transparency, the names of the 233 teachers found to have presented fake certificates will be uploaded on the website of the Kaduna State Government.

“The major objective of this exercise is to ensure that all our teachers have the requisite credentials that constitute the basic qualifications for employment as teachers.

“The board will continue to check the integrity of the certificates presented by teachers to ensure that this critical profession is not devalued by impostors,” he said.

Abdullahi further disclosed that the board would conduct competency test for primary school teachers as part of continued assessment of the capacity of teachers for better service delivery.

He said that the competency test would be followed with series of training programmes for the teachers, beginning with 12,254 teachers in January 2022.

“We have already signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Teachers Institute, the College of Education, Gidan Waya, and the Federal College of Education, Zaria, to conduct the training exercise,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Kaduna State chapter of the  Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) on Thursday backed the state government’s decision to sack 233 teachers alleged to have been working with fake certificates.

List-of-Teachers-with-Fake-Certificates

The Chairman, Mr. Ibrahim Dalhatu said that the union would not defend any teacher with fake certificates.

“As far as NUT is concerned, we will not defend them if the allegation of tendering fake certificates is true.

“We have instructed the affected teachers that if any of them have a genuine certificate and his or her name is on the list, they should submit the certificate to us.

“We will follow up with Kaduna State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) to rectify the issue,” he said.