C’River Govt sacks over 11 teachers for lack of qualification
Governor of Cross River state, Prof Ben Ayade, has ordered the sack of over 11 workers of the Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) for failure to tender the requisite qualification needed to work as class teachers in the state. The sacked workers were classroom teachers in Biase local government area of the state.
The teachers were told by the SUBEB board chairman, Dr. Stephen Odey, at the end of the verification and promotion exercise that they “have no business being in the teaching profession without the requisite qualification,” adding, “you cannot give what you do not have. If you want to become a teacher, do the right thing by going to school to read and qualify for the job.”
The state government however offered a lifeline to the teachers who were given the option of working as security personnel in the state. “Your services will henceforth be needed in the area of tackling insecurity being faced by the schools,” while expressing worry over the decline in the number of pupils enrolled in the public primary schools which he attributed to the fallen standard of basic education in the state.
“Gone are the days when teachers were highly respected in the society, not now that we are struggling to get respect. The reason is because a lot of un-qualified people have found their way in to the system,” he said, adding, “it was on such premise that most parents are withdrawing their wards from public schools to private schools which are not even more equipped than the public schools.”
Dr. Odey charged teachers to live up to their responsibilities by making use of available resources to improve the standard of education in the country. On the issue of regular payment of teachers’ salaries in the state, he said that SUBEB has not taken over the payment of salaries yet, explaining that such responsibility still lies the Ministry of Local Government, stressing, “when we eventually take over payment of your salaries, you will not have any cause to complain.”
