Katsina Stops Salaries of Absentee Teachers
The Katsina State Government has disclosed that the salaries of more than 100 public school teachers have been withheld due to their absences from duty.
The Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Zainab Musawa, revealed this during the pre-inauguration of a Joint Education Sector Coordination Committee. She noted that some teachers had been absent for between one to three months, yet still expected salaries.
Shockingly, unscheduled visits to schools exposed severe neglect. In one school with over 75 teachers, only 10 were present, while another with 1,000 teachers had barely 80 in attendance, leaving most classrooms empty.
Musawa lamented that in some public schools, less than 60% of teachers attend classes, depriving children of learning opportunities.
She stressed that teachers must play their role in revamping education, while the government and partners such as UNICEF and Save the Children work to reform the sector. UNICEF’s Education Manager, Michael Banda, pledged financial support to the new education committee for one year.
The failure of teachers to carry out their duties denies children their right to education, limits their development, creates inequality by depriving them of equal opportunities, and misuses resources meant for them, amounting to exploitation. Every child deserves quality education, and anything less is a violation of their rights.
