The Kaduna State Government said it would sack primary school teachers who failed the recently conducted proficiency and competency test.

According to the state Commissioner for Education, Prof. Andrew Nok, the test “is for effective and quality service delivery at stake.”

The National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) at the weekend conducted the mandatory test for all primary school teachers in the state.

The test was conducted in 123 centres across the 23 local government areas of the state.

Responding to allegation by the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) that the exercise was a deliberate ploy to lay off teachers, Nok said, “The exercise was not designed to witch-hunt anyone. Those that do not fit in the profession will be transferred to areas they could make impact and those that are beyond redemption, I am sorry, they will have to go.”

While monitoring the exercise, the commissioner said, “You will be surprised to know that someone teaching science, for example, could not define science. Such a person has no business teaching in our schools. What we want to do is to know who is teaching what in our schools and whether the person is competent enough to teach”.

Representative of the Vice-chancellor NOUN, Prof. Grace Joktan, while monitoring the exercise in one of the centres at GSS Kajuru, said, “The Vice-chancellor, Prof. Abdalla Uba Adamu, had directed NOUN to apply the school standard examination mechanism in the conduct of the exercise. NOUN as a school that prides itself in quality assurance should be at the forefront of setting quality moral gauge in exams.”