The Jigawa State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) has withheld the salaries of 239 teachers who were found to be absent from their duty posts, including a village head discovered to be receiving double salaries.
The Chairman of SUBEB, Professor Haruna Musa, confirmed this development while speaking to journalists during a five-day training programme for 250 Arabic teachers held at Takur Primary School.
According to Professor Musa, the affected teachers were drawn from across the 27 local government areas of the state.
He revealed that the absentees had been away from their posts for periods ranging from two to three months, while still drawing salaries without rendering any service.
He further disclosed that some of the teachers had abandoned their posts for between one to three years, yet continued to receive monthly salaries without showing up to teach.
Professor Musa expressed dismay over the case of one primary school teacher who had been recently turbaned as a village head.
The individual, he said, stopped teaching completely for three years but continued to collect his salary, in addition to receiving a stipend as a traditional ruler.
Although the name of the village head was not disclosed, the SUBEB Chairman stated that disciplinary measures had been taken against him. He has been ordered to refund all the salaries collected during the period of absenteeism.
The board will allow him to continue working, provided he gradually repays the misappropriated funds.
Plans are already in motion to recover the full amount, Professor Musa said.
He also announced that more teachers would soon be recruited in a bid to address the shortage of teaching staff across the state.
The SUBEB boss urged members of the School-Based Management Committees (SBMC) in all primary schools to report any teacher found habitually absent from duty to SUBEB offices at the local government or state level.
Speaking on the ongoing training programme, Professor Musa explained that the Colleges of Education in Gumel and Babura were responsible for training the selected Arabic teachers.
He noted that the aim of the training was to equip teachers with computer literacy and lesson planning skills to enhance their teaching effectiveness.
In his final remarks, he encouraged Arabic teachers to maintain a decent dress code and demonstrate a good command of language, as pupils often emulate their teachers’ behaviour and appearance.