KADUNA: Court dismisses NUT’s suit against El-Rufai over competency test

THE Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General, Aisha Dikko, has said the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, in the state, has dismissed the case between the Nigerian Union of Teachers and Governor Nasir El Rufai for lacking in merit and substance.

Dikko disclosed this yesterday in a statement titled, ‘Teachers sack: Court dismisses NUT’s suit against KDSG,’.

The Attorney General noted that a judgement was delivered to that effect by Justice S.O Edeniyi on February 2.

Dikko, through the statement, explained that the NUT and Comrade Audus Titus Amba were the claimants in the case adding that they  sought nullification of the termination and compulsory retirement of those who failed the competency test for all primary school teachers.

Explaining why the state government came up with the test, Dikko said it was “in the bid to restore the competency of the teaching profession and improve the standard of education in schools across the state, a competency test was conducted for public primary school teachers in the state on 3rd June, 2017.’’

Dikko said that primary school teachers who failed the competency test either had their jobs terminated or were compulsorily retired.

“The claimants, however, challenged the powers of the defendants to terminate and or dismiss from service, any teacher in the public primary school of Kaduna State without the support of the simple majority of the Kaduna State House of Assembly,’’ she added.

The statement listed the governor of Kaduna State, the Attorney General, and the Kaduna State Universal Basic Education Board as defendants in the suit.

The Commissioner of Justice said, “The claimants also stated that prior to the conduct of the competency test, the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria had written a letter to the defendants to state its exclusive role as the regulating agency of the teaching profession in Nigeria and despite the letter, the defendant still conducted the competency test and set the pass mark at 75%, contrary to the agreement that the pass mark for the competency test should be 60%.’’

The statement said that Justice Edeniyi ruled that “the claimants” claims are unsupported by evidence and as a result, lacked merit. The case was accordingly dismissed and no award as to cost was made.