Katsina: The Katsina State Government has frozen the salaries of over 100 teachers who abandoned their posts without explanation.
The Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Hajiya Zainab Musawa, disclosed this in Katsina, on Wednesday, at the unveiling of a joint education sector coordination committee.
The committee unveiled by the ministry, in collaboration with UNICEF, is aimed at promoting education policy formulation and implementation in the state.
The commissioner expressed serious concerns over the attitude of some teachers, saying that the government and other stakeholders would not allow such to continue.
“I have visited about 20 schools in Katsina, and there is no school where I met 60 per cent of the teachers on the ground.
“So, we are here to look at the issues of education and try to bring solutions,” the commissioner said.
Musawa cited an example of a teacher employed by the state government who had abandoned his work and relocated to another state, working and collecting a salary.
According to her, the teacher has absconded from that school for two years, saying that all evidence is readily available.
“We’re talking about the mindset of the people in the education system, the parents, children, teachers, and the school administrators; it’s not just the government.
“In the ministry of education, I have more than 100 teachers whose salaries have stopped as of today.
“If you go to the ministry at this very moment, you‘ll see teachers rolling and begging for their salaries to be paid because they cannot afford to lose July, August, and September salaries.
“But when they absconded, they had forgotten that holidays would come, and they didn’t know that the monitoring department would go and monitor,” Musawa said.
The commissioner will head the joint education sector coordination committee and will also facilitate joint planning, budgeting and resource mobilisation for practical education activities.
Presenting the terms of reference for the committee, the Officer-in-charge, UNICEF Kano Field Office, Mr Michael Banda, said it would improve data sharing and evidence-based decision-making in the state.
Banda said the committee would monitor the Katsina Education Sector Operation Plan and ensure accountability and transparency in the education service delivery of the state.
“The committee will also promote collaboration between ministries, departments, agencies, development partners, civil society and other stakeholders.
“Provide a platform for policy dialogue, coordination and joint decision making. Ensure alignment with state education priorities, SDGs, and education sector plans,” he added.
Banda reiterated that UNICEF would support the committee for one year, and warned the members against negligence.