TheCable

A total 21,780 teachers in Kaduna state have reportedly failed the primary four examination administered to test their competence.

Nasir el-Rufai, governor of the state, said the teachers were required to pass at least 75% of the test but that two-third of the total number of the teachers failed.

He said a new set of 25,000 primary school teachers would be employed ” as parts of the efforts to restore dignity and quality to its education sector”.

El-Rufai said this during a recent meeting with World Bank representatives in the state capital.

“We tested our 33,000 primary school teachers, we gave them primary four exams and required they must get at least 75 percent but am sad to announce that 66 percent of them failed to get the requirements,” he said.

Excerpts of the primary our level competency test questions

“The hiring of teachers in the past was politicized and we intend to change that by bringing in young and qualified primary school teachers to restore the dignity of education in the state.

“We have a challenge with the teacher-pupil ratio in the urban schools; there is a concentration of teachers that are not needed.

‘’In some LGAs, it’s a teacher-pupil ratio of 1-9 while in some places it’s 1-100.”

Kunle Adekola, World Bank representative, expressed appreciation to the state for investing in education and for the  priority given to the girl child.

Adekola said the bank would invest N30 million in Rigasa primary school, which has a population of about 22,000 pupils.