Teachers Fail Primary School Exams, To Be Sacked By Kaduna State Govt

Kaduna's governor has promised to restore the "dignity of education" AFP

Thousands of primary schoolteachers in Nigeria's Kaduna State have failed the very exams they prepare pupils for.

BBC Africa Live report continues:

State governor Nasir El-Rufai said that 21,780 teachers, or two-thirds of them, failed to score 75% or higher on assessments usually given to six-year-olds.

Mr El-Rufai said all 33,000 primary schoolteachers in Kaduna State took the test.

He made the comments at a meeting with World Bank representatives at his offices, adding:

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."

This is coming amid apprehension that most primary and secondary schools in Nigeria are churning out half-baked students.

Kaduna Governor Nasir el-Rufai said qualified teachers would be employed to replace the dismissed teachers.

It is unclear when this will happen.

A senior official in the state told the BBC that more tests would also be carried out in the coming weeks for secondary school teachers to determine their suitability.

Analysts say the figures are a terrible reminder of the deplorable state of education in Nigeria, where it is alleged that the hiring of teachers has always been politicized.