By Kola Larewaju
ABOUT 1,630 primary schools teachers in Ogun State, who failed to acquire the National Certificate in Education (NCE) as minimum qualification for teaching, have been sacked by the state government.

The state Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, the State Universal Basic Education and the Teaching Service Commission had  screened all teachers in all public schools in the state.

The affected teachers, according to the Consultant to the Governor on Media, Mr.  Sina Ogunbambo, were those that still possessed Grade II Teachers’ Certificates.

Ogunbambo explained that the services of the teachers were no longer required because they failed to upgrade themselves to the NCE level in line with the Federal Government’s directive on minimum teaching qualification.

“It is a national policy that all Grade II teachers must leave the system (education) by 2006. The Federal Government made it mandatory that the minimum teaching qualification would be NCE and that was in 2006. We thought these people would upgrade but realised that they did not  acquire the relevant qualification of NCE which is now the minimum teaching qualification in primary schools. So, we asked them to go,” he said.

Ogumbambo denied a national newspaper report (not Vanguard) which stated that 7,000 teachers were sacked, saying there was no iota of truth in the report.

The state Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Professor Segun Awonusi also denied the report saying, “the figure is far from the truth. It is true that the state has asked those not qualified to go. They were given opportunity by FGN policy to upgrade to NCE by 2006 but failed to do so.

“The state government extended the period of grace till mid 2009. They   still failed to acquire the minimum teaching qualification, and have been shown the way out,” he added.