By Abel Daniel, Lafia

The Nasarawa State Universal Basic Education Board (NSUBEB), under the leadership of its new Executive Chairman, Dr. Kassim Mohammed, is set to recruit 4,800 trained teachers to address the acute shortage of teaching staff in primary schools, especially in rural areas across the state.

Dr. Kassim disclosed that the state governor has approved the recruitment, which is being carried out under the initiative titled “Recruitment of Teachers in Rural Areas.” He emphasized that successful applicants must be willing to serve in rural communities, as no newly recruited teacher will be posted to urban areas.

In a sweeping reform, Dr. Kassim also announced the redeployment of 1,300 administrative staff currently without defined roles in the 13 Local Government Areas and 18 Development Areas. These staff members will be reassigned to classrooms to enhance the teaching workforce.

“It is unacceptable for our schools to face a shortage of teachers while administrative offices remain overstaffed with qualified educators,” Dr. Kassim said during a meeting with education secretaries.

He vowed to end the trend of excessive supervisors in urban areas while rural schools remain underserved.

In a related development, Dr. Kassim pledged to recover all chairs and desks allegedly diverted and sold to private schools by some education secretaries and headmasters.

“Our students cannot be sitting on the floor while furniture provided by the government is sold off. I have visited schools where pupils sit on the floor, despite records showing that furniture was supplied. This will not be tolerated under my administration,” he said.

Dr. Kassim revealed that he has involved the Assistant Commissioner of Police (Operations) to support the task force in recovering government-owned furniture from private institutions.

He further warned against illegal deductions from teachers’ salaries, stating that such actions would only be permitted on disciplinary grounds and with prior approval from the board.

“Teachers’ salaries in the state are modest. Therefore, no illegal deductions will be allowed going forward,” he warned.

Additionally, Dr. Kassim directed education secretaries not to allocate school lands for small businesses without official permission. He cited several instances where individuals had encroached on school properties for personal use.

To safeguard NSUBEB assets, he announced the establishment of a maintenance unit in each local government area. He also issued a stern warning to contractors, stating that substandard work would lead to revoked contracts and withheld payments.

“We cannot renovate a school this year and renovate the same structures again next year. Contractors will not be paid until we are fully satisfied with the quality of work,” he concluded.