By Ibrahim Hassan-Wuyo

Kaduna – Disengaged teachers in Kaduna State have said they were tired of endless hope and waiting for their entitlements to be paid after they were sacked in 2017 by former Governor Nasir El’Rufai’s government, and pleaded with Governor Uba Sani to come to their rescue.

The teachers under the aegis of Kaduna State Illegally Disengaged Teachers Forum, converged on Arewa House Kaduna to beg Governor Uba Sani to consider paying all their entitlements immediately.

According to the teachers, the untold hardship faced since they were sacked to date was better imagined, thus their decision to come out and appeal to the governor.

“It is unfair to treat teachers, who contributed their quota to educational development in the State in such a heartless manner.” They said.

The Elrufai-led Government had sacked 21,000 out of 30,000 primary school teachers who failed competency tests.

Speaking at a press conference held at Arewa House Conference on Tuesday, the State Coordinator of KSIDF, Comrade Aminu Maitama said the competency test was not done in good faith as presented to the public, but to reduce the number of teachers in employment of State government.

While Stating that he scored 70 per cent in the result he saw, the Coordinator wondered why he was sacked after such above average score. “The truth is that there are several cases such as mine all across the 23 local government areas of the State.”

“I think what El-Rufa’i did was to sack the teachers to reduce the cost of salary payments without recourse to the standard of teaching and education in the State.”

However, he called on Governor Uba Sani to consider their plights and revisit the issue of the 21,000 sacked teachers.

“We strongly believe that the Governor from all indications would sympathise with us and do the needful immediately.”

The sacked teachers, who commended the Governor for ordering the immediate release of the sum of N548 million to the Nigerian Union of Teachers Endwell scheme which was withheld by the past administration, also appealed to him to conduct another competency for them to ascertain their eligibility.