The Nasarawa State House of Assembly has directed the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to immediately return the retrieved appointment letters of 1000 newly employed teachers in the state. This follows the confirmation by the State Ministry of Education that the employment of these teachers was genuine and followed due process.
The House issued a three-day ultimatum to the TSC, instructing them to liaise with the consulting firm handling the screening and ensure the appointment letters are returned to the affected teachers on or before Friday, June 27, 2025.
Chairman of the Adhoc Committee investigating the recruitment of over 3000 teachers in the state, Hon. Daniel Ogazi, gave the directive on Tuesday during a sitting in Lafia, the state capital.
Hon. Ogazi emphasised that the manner in which the appointment letters were retrieved from the teachers did not comply with the Civil Service rules or the laws governing employment in Nasarawa State.
“The employment of these 1000 teachers followed due process, so there is no reason for withdrawing their appointment letters without any offence,” Hon. Ogazi stated.
The lawmaker made it clear that the committee’s objective was not to witch-hunt anyone but to ensure transparency and uphold the integrity of the education sector in the state.
“This exercise is not to witch-hunt anybody but to ensure the sanity of education in the state,” he explained.
The committee also faulted the consultant handling the ongoing teachers’ screening exercise for using only a Computer Based Test (CBT) as the main requirement for determining the competence of teachers.
According to Hon. Ogazi, assessing teachers should be done holistically, taking into account their field of study and qualifications.
“If a teacher studied computer, test him through computer. If he read Arabic, test him through Arabic. You should also assess a teacher based on his field of study,” he advised.
Ogazi insisted that the use of only CBT without oral or written interviews was a major error by the consultant.
“You cannot use one perimeter to judge the competence of teachers. If you must test, it has to be holistic,” he stressed.
He further directed the consultant to appear before the committee next Monday and cautioned them not to submit any report to the Governor until the issues surrounding the screening were properly addressed.
“We don’t want to throw out competent teachers just because they don’t have computer knowledge,” Ogazi warned.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Teachers Service Commission, Amb. Timothy Kasuwa, admitted before the committee that there were errors in the ongoing screening exercise. He stated that the commission only acted based on the directive of Governor Abdullahi Sule to re-screen all teachers employed by the previous TSC management.
Amb. Kasuwa assured the House that the TSC would comply with the Assembly’s directive regarding the return of appointment letters to the affected teachers.
Also appearing before the committee was the Permanent Secretary of the Nasarawa State Ministry of Education, Alhaji Sani Bala. He confirmed that the 1000 teachers were genuinely employed and are currently receiving salaries.
“The Teachers Service Commission shortlisted the 1000 names after the candidates went through all the processes, including CBT test, screening, and interviews. The Ministry also did the documentation for the teachers and subsequently posted them to various schools. They are presently working and receiving their salaries,” Bala explained.
The Permanent Secretary, however, revealed that some individuals had forged appointment letters and the Secretary’s signature, but he clarified that these incidents did not affect the 1000 genuinely employed teachers.
Supporting the Ministry of Education’s position, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Budget and Planning, Mr. Polinus Wahe, confirmed that his ministry received the list of the 1000 teachers alongside approval for their payments.
“They have been receiving their salaries since they were employed,” Mr. Wahe stated.
It was further gathered that members of the committee expressed dissatisfaction with the consultant’s approach to the recruitment process. They faulted the allocation of marks, which gave 40 per cent to CBT, 20 per cent to written tests, and 40 per cent to oral interviews, without properly following the sequence of the three processes.
“How can you fail a teacher by using only CBT without allowing them for oral and written interviews?” the committee queried.
The consultant handling the screening of over 3000 teachers had reportedly retrieved their appointment letters during the ongoing exercise, causing confusion and uncertainty among the affected teachers.
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