Fake Certificates: Kaduna to dismiss, prosecute 233 teachers

Kaduna State has announced the plan to dismiss 233 teachers who presented fake certificates.

Alhaji Tijjahi Abdullahi, Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board (KADSUBEB), stated this at a news briefing on Thursday.

The Chairman said as part of its responsibility to ensure that all teachers actually have the qualifications they presented, the Board launched a certificate verification exercise in April 2021.

He said the major objective of the exercise was to ensure that teachers have the requisite credentials that constitute the basic qualifications for their employment.

He said the Board verified 451 certificates by contacting the institutions that awarded the certificates in which nine of the 13 institutions contacted responded.

“The responses from the institutions show that 233 teachers presented fake certificates. This represents 51% of the 451 certificates on which responses have been received from the awarding institutions. One institution disowned 212 of these 233 fake certificates.”

“The Board will dismiss the 233 teachers who presented these fake certificates, while their files will be forwarded to the Ministry of Justice to initiate prosecution for forgery,” he said.

According to him, the Board will continue to check the integrity of the certificates presented by teachers to ensure that this critical profession is not devalued by impostors.

The Chairman further added that as part of duty of transparency, the names of the 233 teachers found to have presented fake certificates will be uploaded on the website of the Kaduna State Government.

The Board also said it will shortly be conducting the competency test for teachers.

The State Government recruited 25,000 new teachers after the 2017 competency test, and made it clear that it will continue to assess its teachers both for their own improvement and for better delivery of learning outcomes of pupils.