*The Kaduna State Government of Nigeria explains the fundamental objective of the verification exercise is to ensure that all our teachers have the requisite credentials that constitute the basic qualifications for employment as teachers in the state

Alexander Davis | ConsumerConnect

For presenting fake certificates at the time of their recruitment for the teaching profession, the Kaduna State Government (KDSG) has sacked 233 teachers, and scheduled competency test for 12,254 others in the state.

ConsumerConnect reports Tijjani Abdullahi, Chairman of Kaduna State Universal Basic Education Board disclosed this development Thursday, December 2, 2021, at a press conference in Kaduna, the state capital.

School pupils at a forum in Kaduna State  Photo: KDSUBEB/Facebook

Abdullahi said that the teachers were sacked following inquiries from the academic institutions they claimed to have attended and obtained their qualifications, which indicted that they presented forged certificates.

According to the Kaduna SUBEB Chairman, the decision to investigate the authenticity of  certificates of the affected teachers commenced April 2021 as part of the Board’s responsibility to ensure that all teachers actually have the qualifications they presented.

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

The Kaduna SUBEB Chairman added that 451 certificates have so far been verified by contacting the institutions that awarded the certificates, while nine of the 13 institutions contacted have responded.

“So far, the Board has verified 451 certificates by contacting the institutions that awarded the certificates. Nine of the 13 institutions contacted have responded, as of today.

“The responses from the institutions show that 233 teachers presented fake certificates. This represents 51% of the 451 certificates on which responses have been received from the awarding institutions. One institution disowned 212 of these 233 fake certificates,” said he.

Abdullahi stated: “The Board will dismiss the 233 teachers who presented these fake certificates, while their files will be forwarded to the Ministry of Justice to initiate prosecution for forgery.

“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.

“As part of our duty of transparency, the names of the 233 teachers found to have presented fake certificates will be uploaded on the website of the Kaduna State Government today.”

Meanwhile, the Board announced that it will conduct a fresh competency test for 12,254 teachers from January 2022 as part of continuous assessment of its teachers both for their own improvement and for better delivery of learning.

The Kaduna State Government, in 2017, recruited 25,000 new teachers after it sacked over 22,000 unqualified ones following a competency, report stated.