Bauchi Discovers 20% Ghost Teachers in its Payroll

Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi

The Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed has announced the discovery of 20 per cent ghost teachers in the state payroll, just as he promised that his administration would place premium on developing the education sector.

The governor disclosed this during a courtesy call on him by Bauchi State Youth on the occasion of the Day of the African Child (DAC), organised by the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), in collaboration with UNICEF Nigeria, Bauchi Field Office, held at the Banquet Hall, Government House, Bauchi.

The action, supported by UNICEF, was in commemoration of the Day of the African Child, the day in 1976 that hundreds of students were shot in Soweto, South Africa, while demonstrating for their right to quality education.

The Nigerian campaign for access to quality education will hold the newly-elected government officials at all levels accountable for their campaign promises to provide equitable access to free, safe and quality education for every child, especially the girl child, in Nigeria.

The governor, who reiterated the contribution of education to the socio-economic and political development of any society or nation, condemned the engagement of unqualified people into the system, saying that they would be flushed out through strategic measures.

On the alleged mismanagement of funds in the SUBEB, he revoked all contracts awarded in the education sector, adding that the immediate past Chairman of SUBEB, Professor Yahaya Yero would be prosecuted for awarding contracts without access funds and announced the recruitment of 1,000 qualified teachers within one month for improvement in the education especially basic education.

The governor promised to comply with UNICEF requirements for accessing intervention by ensuring timely release of counterpart funding for effective teaching and learning in schools.

The Representative of UNICEF Bauchi Field Office, Hajiya Maryama Dikwa said 120 youths from three senatorial zones of the state were been selected to work for increased access to safe and quality education for every Nigerian children, especially girls.

Dikwa, who expressed concern over the number of out of school children and non enrollment of girls in schools, called for improved budgetary allocation especially to basic education to increase acess to safe and quality education.

The Permanent Secretary of the state ministry of education, Musa Wadata challenged members of the advocacy conference to work towards the eradication of the challenges facing education especially at the basic level.

THISDAY gathered that the 10 states where the mass actions and activities commemorating the 2019 (DAC) took place, Bauchi, Niger, Katsina, Kano, Sokoto, Zamfara, Kebbi, Gombe, Adamawa, Taraba and the FCT, have about eight million children not in school and an average enrolment rate of only 57 per cent.
The global theme for this year’s Day of the African child is child ‘Rights in all Situations, Including during Humanitarian Crises’.