The Kaduna State Wing of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) says the 21,780 primary school teachers sacked by Gov. Nasir El-Rufa’i should reapply.

The state NUT Chairman, Audu Amba, said in Kaduna yesterday that the affected teachers would reapply, sit for another examination and if they pass, will be reinstated to their previous positions. The teachers were sacked for allegedly failing a competence test held in June 2017.

Amba said Gov. El-Rufa’i had directed the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) to open a window for the sacked teachers in its continuous recruitment programme. According to him, it is a new window of opportunity for the affected teachers to be reinstated.

“We therefore, consider this as an achievement to our struggle, and collectively agreed to call off the strike. We are not against any examination to determine the quality and competency of teachers; our problem is the modalities and the processes by which the test in question was conducted.

“What is agreed is that when writing the examination, the affected teachers would be required to indicate their scores in the controversial competence test of June 2017.

“Therefore, if our teachers would be given another opportunity to sit for another examination and be reinstated, I feel it’s something we could work on to ensure that larger percentage of the affected teachers got their jobs back.”

He said that the affected teachers have been directed to await announcement by SUBEB on a date for another recruitment exercise for them to reapply.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Ja’afaru Sani, said that 10, 000 of the affected sacked teachers had re-applied.

He said that although the sack order remained, the government would consider those that reapplied if they pass the tests to be conducted for them later.

On whether the teachers would be reinstated to their previous positions, the commissioner said the Head of Service would determine that based on civil service rules.

It was however gathered that only 4,000 out of the more than 43,000 applicants who sat for the recently conducted aptitude test for new teachers scored 75 per cent and above. (Saturday Sun)