Edo sacks 836 teachers

The Edo State government has sacked 836 teachers following a verification exercise carried out by the state’s Department of Information and Communication Technology.

The affected teachers were said to have learnt of their lay-off when they discovered that their names were missing from the December salary voucher.

Those sacked were said to have either over-stayed their number of years in service or falsified their age and credentials. Others were those who have become mentally unstable and the blind.

A man, who gave his name as Osahon, said his wife was affected by the lay-off.

The Commissioner for Basic Education, Patrick Aguinede, who confirmed the retrenchment, said those affected were de-certified by the ICT after the screening.

He said, “Those that have over-stayed in service gave a scenario that the state government could not recruit new teachers.

“The teachers were found to have stayed above 35 years. Some were physically blind; some manipulated their results and age, which later showed they finished school before they were born.”

Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Teachers in Edo, Akin Adeojo, said the union was aware of the sack as a rumour, but that the affected teachers had not been issued letters that they had been sacked.

Adeojo said some of the teachers were found to have stayed above 35 years in service and others physically and mentally-challenged.

He said the NUT would scrutinise the letters before taking a decision and that anybody found victimised would be resisted.

Osahon appealed to the state government to reconsider its stand on the sacked teachers.

“I don’t have a reliable job. It is my wife that is taking care of the home. My wife is not up to three years in service. She is not up to 35 years old. The governor should give the young ones a second chance. They should regularise their age,” he said.

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