The chairman, Nasarawa State Universal Basic Education Board, (NSUBEB), Dr. Kassim Muhammad Kassim, Wednesday, directed the immediate redeployment of 1,300 administrative staffs back to classrooms.
He gave the directive in his office during a meeting with the educational secretaries of all the 13 local governments and 18 development areas in the state.
He said the board will not tolerate a situation where there are large numbers of supervisors while the rural schools have no single teacher.
Consequently, he directed the education secretary to post the 1,300 administrative staff with teaching qualifications to be deployed to rural schools with immediate effect.
The chairman however, stated that there is no need for government to be running short of teachers while the administrative departments will have enough qualified teachers as administrative staff and supervisors.
Kassim stated further that he has gathered from the various education secretaries that the total number of their administrative staffs including supervisors total 3,422 in the state.
The chairman also expressed shocked that furniture’s provided for primary schools pupils to sit comfortably in classrooms for learning are being diverted by the various education secretaries and headmasters and allegedly sold to private schools.
“Our pupils can’t be sitting on the floor in classrooms while education secretaries and headmasters divert furniture provided by government to private schools and homes.
“I have visited most schools and seen with my eyes students sitting on the floor and records before me shows furniture were supplied to such schools and I won’t allow that under my watch,” he said.
He added that he will partner with the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of operations to go round suspected private schools and homes using SUBEB furniture with a view of arresting them to name those who sells such furniture to them.
On recruitment, the chairman stated that he has received approval from the governor to recruit 4,800 qualified teachers in the primary schools, and added that his recruitment is tagged “Recruitment of Teachers in Rural Areas.”
He said those applying should be prepared to go to the rural areas, adding that no single teacher newly recruited will be posted to urban areas, adding that his agenda is to revive rural schools and make it attractive to parents of both communities to send their children.
He warned that no education secretary should made illegal deductions of their teachers salaries except on disciplinary grounds which the board must be aware of, and any secretary who disobey the order will have his/her self to blame.
He directed education secretaries not to allocate any school land to small business ventures except with the permission of the board,
He added that he was appointed by the governor to change the narrative in the education sub-sector and he is more than determined to achieve his mandate even if it means stepping on people’s toes.