Teachers hit 32.5% increase in salary

The salary of secondary and primary school teachers in Kaduna states has shot up by 32.5 per cent with effect from February.
The teachers would also enjoy tax-free pay until the implementation of the increase in pay.
These are incentives introduced by the state to boost teaching and make it attractive to highly qualified persons.
The state Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Malam Jafaru Sani, said the government would from March 2018 stop the deduction of Pay As You Earn from the salaries teachers until the new teachers salary structure for the teachers comes into effect.
The commissioner said that the new salary structure was being worked out by the office of the state Head of Service, Accountant General, and Ministry of Finance.
“This is a demonstration of the state government’s commitment to improving the welfare of teachers.
“With this tax waiver, I am sure that the quality of life of our teachers will greatly improve, until the new salary structure takes effect,” he said.
The state’s Universal Basic Education Board would soon begin issuance of appointment letters to no less than 15,000 successful applicants.
The state government had sacked more than 22,000 teachers who failed the primary four examinations to test their competence.
The government therefore resolved to recruit teachers to replace those sacked, causing an uproar in the labour unions.
The unions embarked on strike, the crisis has been resolved as those affected by the sack had been asked to re-apply for employment.
Before now the Kaduna State Wing of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) said it would shut down all public schools if the state sacks any of the 21,000 teachers that failed four examination.
The teachers’ union was reacting to the governor’s statement two weeks ago, in which he announced plans to sack 21,780 primary school teachers who allegedly failed a competency test and replace them with 25,000 new ones.
Audu Amba, NUT Chairman in the state said at a press conference in Kaduna, that the union would embark on total strike if the government sack any teacher.
Amba said that the decision was taken at an emergency meeting of the union executive council held on Thursday.
According to him, the teachers were not tested based on professionalism, adding that the NUT will only recognise test conducted by the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria.

“The so-called competency test was not a true test, because you can only test a teacher by supervising him while he teaches in class,” he argued.