Sale of public schools furniture: NSUBEB Chairman , orders deployment of 1, 300 administrative staffs to classroom

By David Odama

Chairman of the Nasarawa state Universal Basic Education Board (NSUBEB), Dr Kassim Muh’d Kassim has frowned at the attitude of education secretaries, Headmasters of public schools involved in the sale of furnitures provided for public schools to private institutions in the state.

Consequent upon the unwholesome attitude of some the administrative staff of the board, Kissimmee has ordered the deployment of 1,300 out of the 3,422 administrative staffs to classrooms across the 13 local government and 18 development areas of the State.

The chairman who gave the directive Wednesday in his office during a meeting with the education secretaries of all the 13 local government and 18 development areas in the State, had earlier gathered from the various education secretaries that the total number of administrative staffs including supervisors was 3,422 in the State.

In view of the huge numbers of the administrative staffs in the state, the Chairman directed all administrative staffs with teaching qualifications to return to the classrooms with immediate effect.

“There is no need for the government to be running short of teachers while the administrative departments will have enough qualified teachers as administrative staffs and supervisors”, Dr Kassim stated.

The chairman noted that it was unacceptable for officials of government to engage in an unwholesome manner, expressing shocked at the attitude of the government officials involved when government was doing everything possible to provide a conducive learning environment for the pupils in the state.

“It is worrisome to see furnitures provided for public primary schools to make for conducive learning being diverted by the various education secretaries and headmasters and sold to private schools and homes”.

“Our pupils can’t be sitting on the floor in classrooms while education secretaries and headmasters divert furnitures provided by government to private schools and homes, I have visited most schools and seen with my eyes pupils sitting on the floor while records before me shows furnitures were supplied to such schools, I won’t allow this under my watch” Dr Kassim declared.

The board chairman who announced plans to partner the assistant commissioner of police in charge of operations to mount surveillance round suspected private schools and homes using SUBEB furnitures with a view of arresting, added that private scholls involved in the unwholesome acts would be made to provide the government officials involv

He said that the board will not tolerate a situation where there are large numbers of supervisors while the rural schools have no single teacher, questioning what they are supervising, and directed the education secretary to post the 1,300 administrative staff with teaching qualifications to be deployed to rural schools with immediate effects.

On recruitment of more teachers, , the chairman explained that he has received approval from the Governor to recruit 4,800 qualified teachers in the primary schools, and revealed further that his recruitment is tagged “Recruitment of Teachers in Rural Areas”.

He told those applying to be prepared to go to the rural areas, making it clear that no teacher newly recruited will be posted to urban areas, noting that his agenda is to revive rural schools to avert urban migration and make the rural schools attractive to parents to send their ward and childrento.

Dr Kassim told the education secretaries that it’s not going to be business as usual, and that the board under him will focus on rural schools to ensure that they are well equipped.

He explained further that no education secretary should made illegal deductions of their teachers salaries except on disciplinary grounds which the board must be aware, adding the the salaries of teachers are not much and illegal and unnecessary deductions should stop immediately and any ES who disobey this order will his/her self to blame.

“I was appointed by the Governor to change the narrative in the education sub-sector and I am more than determine to achieve his mandate even if it means stepping on toes.

Dr Kassim also directed the ES not to allocate any school land to small business ventures except with the permission of the board, adding that some people have started claiming school lands on that basis.

He promised to create maintenance unit in each local government to protect and safeguard SUBEB properties, vowing to revoked any contract poorly done or have that contractors money withheld until a standard work is done

“we can’t renovate a particular school this year and get same structures renovated next year, it’s means something is wrong with the work done by the first contractor, we can’t pay any contractor until we are fully satisfied with the quality of work”. Dr Kassim said