By Abdallah el-Kurebe

Sokoto—Sultan Sa’ad Abubakar-led 27-man Education Revitalisation and Strengthening Committee, constituted yesterday by Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State, has vowed to sack all unqualified teachers in the state.

Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto

The committee insisted that “there are many of them, with some of them always absent from their duty posts.”

Inaugurating the committee during the 2017 Annual General Meeting of the Sokoto Education Development Trust Fund, SEDTF, at the Sultan’s palace, Governor Tambuwal said over N1 billion would be realised annually as education levy on salaries of civil and public servants in the state.

While the terms of reference of the committee include rehabilitation, expansion and construction of schools, with the collaboration of the schools-based management committees in the state, the committee will also work out modalities for grassroots mobilisation of parents to enroll their children in both western and Islamic schools.

Tambuwal said: “The high-powered committee was set up as part of mea-sures being implemented under the declaration of the state of emergency on the education sector.

“This action was premised on some disturbing statistics from development partners that the state still lags behind in education, especially girl-child education.

“The committee is, therefore, charged with the responsibility of shoring up enrollment, retention and completion of pupils, improved quality of teaching and learning, as well as equity, irrespective of gender.”

Tambuwal stressed that the Sultan was a globally recognised and committed leader, who had zero tolerance for non-compliance to norms.

Speaking, the Sultan commended Tambuwal for the confidence in the members of the committee and promised to work diligently in the discharge of its responsibility.

His words: “We will work hard in the discharge of this noble assignment, without fear or favour, but with the absolute fear of God.

“We will recommend the sack of all unqualified teachers, as there are many of them, with some of them always absent from their duty posts.”