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Confusion embroils Adamawa Ministry of Education over Teacher’s years of service amended Law

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Confusion embroils Adamawa Ministry of Education over Teacher’s years of service amended Law

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…..commissioner says govt can hire anyone as a principal because is an administrative office

A confusion was seen to have set in when Adamawa House of Assembly in its Law No. 8 of 2020 amended the state Teachers’ retirement years Law No. 17 of 2018 to restrict the application of its provision to science and English Language Teachers only and to provide for matters incidental thereto.

The Law which came into operation on the 30th day of June 2020 and referred to as principal law is repealed and the following new subsection (3) substituted shall apply only to teachers teaching science subjects such as Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Computer Science, Statistics, Health Sciences, Agriculture, Home Economics, Physical and Health Education, integrated Science, Geography, English Language, Economics, Accounting and Commerce with Education Qualification, who are registered with the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria. (TRCN)

The Law assented by the executive Governor of the state, Rt Hon. Ahmadi Umaru Fintiri on the 30th day of June 2020 that from now on to have an increment of five years of their service to the state.

The Law interpreted that Adamawa state Teachers retirement age is forty years in service or one must have reached seventy years of age.

The confusion embroiled the state ministry of Education and Human Capital Development which has Hon Wilbina Jackson spearheading the affairs of the ministry as a Commissioner, through a circular said the Law is only for Science Classroom teachers serving the state and excluded serving Principals and Vice Principals.

Some Teachers in a condition of anonymity spoke to our correspondent, stating their disagreement of the said circular emanated from the Ministry.

According to them the circular from the ministry of Education referring to the amended Law that serving Principals and their Vice Principals are excluded from the said law which increased their years of service is unacceptable and have violated the civil service rules give the privilege to only class teachers from the five years increment.

They blamed the commissioner to be working against the overall interest of the Teachers in the state knowing fully well that she was once a Teacher and retired as one before she ventures into politics.

They said Teachers grow up to be Principals, administrative office within the teaching profession. Meaning that only a teacher can be a principal because it is an administrative position base on their driven profession or career.

They said that most of the current Principals as administrators are still having lesson Plans as teachers and thought pupils base on their field of study.

They also opined that the Primary Schools in the state are not having their kind of controversies and see it an issue with sentiments the post-primary schools should have.

“Are the two boards not under the same ministry? ” They asked

According to them, the law was equally enacted to have some financial benefits to all teachers, but since the Governor assented it to Law on 30th June, 2020 no teacher was given a dime in effect of the amended Law.

Our correspondent in an exclusive interview with the Honourable Commissioner of the Ministry, Mrs Wilbina Jackson in her office, however, said the law is not for principals, it was purposefully amended for only Adamawa Classroom serving teachers.

“We are not lacking in Principals, we have enough of them, but lacking in science class teachers.” She said

She continued to say that the office of a principal is administrative and anybody can be hired to hold the position but nobody can be hired to be a Science class teacher.

Jackson while shedding more light on the fact that the law was only amended to increase their years of service from thirty-five years to forty years and retired or a teacher get retired when he/she must have attained seventy years of age.

She called the attention of all serving principals to know that the law has permitted them to go back to classes as teachers if they are science-oriented to enjoy the increased years of service or put in a willing resignation letter and get retired as a principal.

“This is a clear case because the Law has explicitly explained that. In this state we don’t have a problem with the principals, we only lack Teachers who are having a science background to teach in our schools.

” The government may wish to employ anyone to be a principal because it is an administrative post, but we can’t employ anyone to be a teacher.” She added

Wilbina reiterated that the Law is only concern about science class Teachers refuted to say that it does not include any financial benefits but they are only to benefit additional years of their service.

In an effort to get more clarity on the amended Law, the House Committee Chairman on Education, Hon Patiya Wesley when our state correspondent contacted him said all he knows the House has amended a Law of Adamawa state Teachers retirement years to all registered Teachers in the state wether Principal,Vice principal or Class room teacher.

He further said that when the law was to be amended he remembers his committee called on relevant stakeholders to come and give their contributions or input to have a well perfected amended law, worried that only a few turned up to their invitation.

Chairman, Adamawa chapter of the Nigerian Union of Teachers Comrade Rodney Nathan frowned at the circular of the Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development under the supervision of Wilbina to allowed sentiments beclouded her eyes.

While reading the amended Law Nathan said any teacher is employed as a teacher not a principal, the provision of the Law has clearly stated that teachers with Education Qualification, who are registered with the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria are to benefit of this same Law.

He condemned the single position of the Commissioner, to be standing alone on a matter that’s already settled by the house of Assembly and the executive Governor have assented the Law and gazetted it to be operational since June 30th, 2020.

Worried that the commissioner is not the one to even interprete the amended Law because only establishment or Judiciary can give the full interpretation of the Law.

“There is no basis for argument it is sentiment playing out,this Law covers everybody that’s employed as a teacher and once you are registered with TRCN you are not employed as a Principal or Vice Principal.

” Why are you saying these people should not be part of it? Are they not teachers, if she thinks the Law is ambiguous she should seek for the interpretation because this is a matter of establishment not ministry.” Nathan

He threatened that the union will take action to ensure the right thing is done whenever the ministry decided to do it their own way, revealed that the union were the ones that sought for the Law amended not even the ministry.