The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA has criticised Kaduna State Government led by Nasir El-Rufai for sacking 2,357 teachers in the state.
The National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, in a statement released on Monday slammed the state government, describing the decision as vindictive, illegal and absolutely wicked.
The National President of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), Audu Amba, was among those fired for reportedly refusing to take the competency exam.
The compulsory test was put together by the Kaduna Universal Basic Education Board (KADSUBEB).
HURIWA backed the Chairman of the State’s NUT, Ibrahim Dalhatu, who had previously described the dismissal of teachers as illegal.
The decision to fire teachers in the state, according to the rights group, violates Section 42 of the Constitution since “the governor, as an employee of the people of Kaduna State, and his appointees are not subjected to such competency test, so rendering the policy discriminatory.”
The education board was said to have conducted a competency test for over 30,000 teachers in December 2021 and afterwards, 2,192 were dismissed.