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The National President of EI national affiliate the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Michael Olukoya, has criticised the competency test for teachers introduced in Edo State as a scheme “to eliminate teachers”.

“At the moment, an employee’s competency is determined when he or she is employed,” said Olukoya on 3 March at the NUT Lagos state branch. “It must be emphasised that teaching is a service industry and not a product industry like breweries and textile manufacturing, where products pass through quality control mills to qualify for the market.”

According to Olukoya, in teaching and other service industries, competency is behavioural and not mechanical.

In teaching, powered by the science, principles, and work of teaching, teacher competency takes very many dimensions, including knowledge of the subject taught, he said. “The knowledge of the subject must conform to appropriate methodology, class management, and control,” said Olukoya. “A teacher must understand the psychology of his pupils or students, including the family background, individual differences, and the intelligence quotient to determine the gifted children and children with disabilities.”

He queried the number of competencies being tested in Edo State given the many competencies that combine to make effective teaching. If all are to be tested, how many hours will be required for the examination, Olukoya asked.

He went on to say that, on 4 December 2013, a letter was given to the NUT Edo State Branch entitled, “Competency Test for Teachers in Edo State”. The letter, signed by the Edo Commissioner for Basic Education, Agunede Patrick, intended “to enable the government to determine the level of competency of teachers, with the principal view of upgrading their capacity”.

In response, Olukoya said the NUT Edo State branch believes that such an aptitude test is not the best way to determine and possibly remove teachers from the profession.

Effective inspectors’ system a better tool

The union, Olukoya indicated, had advised that the action should be “behavioural in strengthening the education supervisory organ - the inspectorates. Our professional advice as it was, he said, is that teacher competency can only be behaviorally determined through an effective inspectorate system and not the aptitude testing.”

Olukoya said that the NUT was ready to submit its teachers to professional competency testing by a legally constituted body, but not to “political licensing by the Edo State Government”.

The union is also calling on the State Government to recall the 926 teachers sacked because of their age declaration. “Their sacking lacks equity and justice,” Olukoya stated.

In addition, the NUT is repeating its call on the Governor to pays all the outstanding money from the 27.5 per cent Teachers’ Special Allowance, as well as promotion arrears to teachers in Edo State.

He highlighted the importance of schools as the key factor in human and national development and the seed of human civilisation. It must be treated with the honour it deserves, while the teachers and pupils’ lives must be bestowed the honour and respect they deserve, he said.

Public authorities must guarantee access to quality teachers

“We support our Nigerian affiliates in their struggle to get decent working and living conditions,” said EI General Secretary Fred van Leeuwen. “The Edo State Government must consult with organisations representing educators to ensure adequate teacher evaluation and training, pay sums still due to teachers, and give appropriate public funding to education and schools. This is the key to guarantee all Nigeria’s children have access to quality teachers, teaching and learning environments and tools.”