By Victor AhiumaYoung

The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, ASCSN, has accused the Federal Government of systematically destroying the morale of education officials in its employment.

To support its allegation, ASCSN listed the almost neglect of education officials in the recent promotion exercise, and unpaid outstanding arrears, among others.

The Association also noted that education attachés should be reintroduced in foreign Missions, Education Desks created in Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, mentorship programmes for Directors on elongation introduced, while the three-year tenure system for principals of Unity Schools as agreed with the Union should be implemented.

ASCSN equally demanded the immediate payment of outstanding salary and promotion arrears, training and retraining of officers in the ministry, starting of promotion and automatic placement of officers as and when due to boost the morale of staff, and providing working tools for staff.

ASCSN President, Shehu Mohammed and Secretary-General, Joshua Apebo, who spoke on the issues, said an analysis of the recent promotion carried out in the Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, showed that there might have been an oversight on the promotion of officers in the Headquarters of the Federal Ministry of Education, the 110 Federal Unity Colleges, and the Federal Education Quality Assurance Service, FEQAS, throughout the country.

The  President  said: “We are surprised that in the entire Federal Ministry of Education, with more than 6,000 staff in all states of the federation, only 70 officers were promoted to the Directorate level. For instance, only three Deputy Directors were elevated to the rank of Directors, 14 Assistant Directors promoted to Deputy Directors, while 53 officers were uplifted to the rank of Assistant Directors, making a total of 70 officers that benefitted from the promotion exercise.

“When compared with 356 officers that were elevated to the Directorate level in the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, OHCSF, 286 that benefitted in the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, OAGF, 102 in the Ministry of Police Affairs, etc., it would become crystal clear that officers in the Federal Ministry of Education, with only 70 elevated to the Directorate level, were really shortchanged.

“The argument for the low level of promotion in the Federal Ministry of Education might be premised on the stale tale of a lack of vacancies, but the Union has always offered suggestions on how to create opportunities for Education Officers in the Federal Ministry of Education to reach the height of their career by rising to the Directorate level and not dampen their morale through stagnation.

“The Union has proposed several times, for instance, to the Management of the Federal Ministry of Education that the junior arms of the Federal Government Colleges should be disarticulated from the Senior Secondary segments as has been done in Lagos State, Kano State, and the FCT, thereby creating more vacancies for Directors to head each school.

On his part, Apebo said “We have also suggested that the Tenure Policy must continue to be implemented in the Federal Ministry of Education so that vacancies in the Directorate level can continue to be generated while big Units in the Ministry such as the Nigeria Education Management Information System, NEMIS, and NATCOM for UNESCO can also become Departments to be manned by Directors.

“The Department of Science and Technology Education could become two Departments, namely: Department of Science Education and Technology and Vocational Education Department, while Girl-Child Education could also become a Department, and Basic Education as well.

“Education attachés should be reintroduced in foreign Missions, Education Desks created in MDAs, mentorship programmes for Directors on elongation introduced, while the three-year tenure system for principals of Unity Schools as agreed with the Union should be implemented.

“We also urge the Federal Ministry of Education to resume the quarterly meetings with the Union, pay outstanding salary and promotion arrears, train and retrain Officers in the Ministry, start promotion and automatic placement of Officers as and when due to boost the morale of staff, and provide working tools for staff.

“There is a need for adequate funding of Departments while there should be Presidential waivers for the Federal Ministry of Education to create vacancies as it was done in 2013 so that stagnated officers could be promoted.

“We believe that if these recommendations are implemented in the Federal Ministry of Education, there will be enough vacancies for Senior Civil Servants to continue to rise to the Directorate level.

“We urge the Presidency, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, the Federal Civil Service Commission, Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, OHCSF to intervene on this matter and ensure that Education Officers in the Headquarters of the Federal Ministry of Education, those in the 110 Federal Government Colleges, and the Federal Education Quality Assurance Service, FEQAS, throughout the federation are promoted as and when due like their counterparts in other MDAs in the interest of Justice, equity, and fairness while other suggestions herein are also implemented to boost the morale of staff.”