Non-payment of teachers allowance by states impedes UBE
The Universal Basic Education Commission has said that the delay in the payment of teachers allowances by some states is one of the factors militating against the success of the programme.
UBEC Executive Secretary Gidado Tahir said at a stakeholders forum on the implementation of the scheme today in Abuja that most states failed to pay teachers allowances after collecting grants from the commission.
Tahir said that the non-payment of the allowance was one of the findings of the commission after an extensive tour of the states and the report by various stakeholders on the implementation of the programme.
“The main reason for today’s meeting is to address as fast as possible the challenges facing the programme in the field and notice lapses in the implementation of the programme by the states,’’ he said.
He said that the action of the states was capable of impacting negatively on the noble objectives of the programme as well as government efforts to meet the MDGs of Education for All by 2015.
On other problems confronting the implementation of the programme, the Cordinator, Federal Teachers Scheme, Dr Kabiru Isyaku, said that possession of fake NCE certificates by teachers participating in the scheme was worrisome.
Isyaku said that apart from being in possession of fake certificates teachers in about three states lacked basic training in teaching.
He urged the states to monitor reports of truancy exhibited by teachers as contained in the report from most states and to also avoid frequent transfer of teachers as was the case at present.
He called on colleges of education to look into their subject combination to ensure that course taught have relevance at the primary school level.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that UBEC recently released N1 million to selected colleges of education across the country as part of efforts to produce qualified and qualitiative teachers for primary schools in the country.
The one-day forum is being attended by provosts of colleges of education and chairmen of State Universal Basic Education Board.