To improve the quality of education in the state, the Jigawa State Universal Basic Education Board has withheld the salaries of 239 teachers found absent from their places of duty across the state.
The state SUBEB Chairman, Prof Haruna Musa, stated this while interacting with journalists, shortly after concluding a five-day training for 250 Arabic teachers.
He said the absent teachers had been away from duty for periods ranging from two months to three years, yet continued to collect salaries.
Prof Musa noted that some teachers were found to have abandoned their teaching duties for years without attending classes, citing an example of a recently turbaned teacher who had abandoned his teaching duties for three years while still collecting his salary and receiving additional payment as village head.
The SUBEB boss announced that the board had taken action against the erring teacher, requiring him to refund the salaries collected during his absence.
He sought collaboration to expose any teacher found absent from duty, to ensure transparency and accountability.
Speaking on the training, the SUBEB chairman said selected teachers from the 27 local government areas in the state were brought together to equip them with skills in computer literacy and lesson planning.