Following an audit carried out, the Niger State Government said it has uncovered over 1,500 ghost primary school teachers in the employ of the Niger State Universal Basic Education Board.
The committee set up by the Board to audit its staff also returned with a report that 1,000 teachers did not have the qualification to teach in any primary school in the state.
While submitting the findings of the panel’s report to the Chairman of the Board, Alhaji Isah Adamu, in his office on Monday, Chairman of the Committee, Alhaji Usman Katako, said of those that appeared for screening, 1,000 were discovered not to have certificates and “cannot read and write”.
Katako however did not give details of the ghost workers, but explained that 28,058 personnel were on the payroll of the board, but that only 26,070 showed up for screening.
He said: “The verification covered all the LEA Administrative Staff and Classroom Teachers.
“We are more particular with Teachers and Administrative Staff because the Administrative Staff supervise those in the classroom.
“And about 50 per cent of those with issues of certificate racketeering are class teachers.
“We found that over 1,000 of them couldn’t read and write.”
The Committee however advised the Board to ensure the implementation of the approved promotion for some teachers who have been on the waiting list since 2018.
While receiving the report, Chairman of the Board, Alhaji Isah Adamu, said he would ensure the full implementation of the report to put the teaching profession on a proper footing.
He noted: “If you cannot read and write, you cannot be a teacher, so everybody must work according to his capacity.
“We can reshuffle the system.
“If you cannot teach, we are going to send you to either be a cleaner or a nanny, but definitely not as a classroom teacher.”