By ABBAS BAMALLI

The Katsina State Government has stopped the salaries of 100 teachers who absconded from their duty posts without any reported reasons.

The Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Hajiya Zainab Musawa, disclosed this in Katsina on Wednesday at the unveiling of a joint education sector coordination committee.

The committee unveiled by the ministry, in collaboration with UNICEF, is aimed at promoting education policy formulation and implementation in the state.

The commissioner expressed serious concerns over the attitude of some teachers, saying that government and other stakeholders would not allow such to continue.

?I have visited about 20 schools in Katsina and there is no school where I met 60 per cent of the teachers on ground.

?So, we are actually here to look at the issues of education and try to bring solutions,? the commissioner said.

Musawa cited an example of a teacher employed by the state government and had abandoned his work and relocated to another state working and collecting salaries.

According to her, the teacher has absconded from that school for two years, saying that all evidences are readily available.

?We?re talking about the mindset of the people in the education system, the parents, children, teachers, and the school administrators; it?s not just the government.

?In the ministry of education, I have more than 100 teachers that we stopped their salaries as of today.

?If you go to the ministry at this very moment, you?ll see teachers rolling and begging for their salaries to be installed because they cannot afford to lose July, August, and September salaries.

?But when they absconded, they had forgotten that holidays would come, and they didn?t know that the monitoring department will go and monitor,? Musawa said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the joint education sector coordination committee will be headed by the commissioner, and will also facilitate joint planning, budgeting and resource mobilization for effective education activities.

Presenting the terms of reference for the committee, the Officer-in-charge, UNICEF Kano Field Office, Mr. Michael Banda, said it would improve data sharing and evidence-based decision making in the state.

Banda said the committee would monitor the Katsina Education Sector Operation Plan and ensure accountability and transparency in education service delivery of the state.

?The committee will also promote collaboration between ministries, departments, agencies, development partners, civil society and other stakeholders.

?Provide a platform for policy dialogue, coordination and joint decision making. Ensure alignment with state education priorities, SDGs, and education sector plans,? he added.

Banda reiterated that UNICEF would support the committee for the period of one year warned the members against negligence. (NAN)

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