Katsina Government Suspends Salaries of Over 100 Absentee Teachers

The Katsina State Government has announced the suspension of salaries for more than 100 public school teachers accused of abandoning their duty posts without official permission or explanation.

The decision was disclosed by the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Hajiya Zainab Musawa, during the pre-inauguration of the Joint Education Sector Coordination Committee, a new platform established to identify problems in the education sector and propose practical solutions.

Musawa explained that the action followed weeks of unannounced monitoring visits to schools across the state, which exposed alarming levels of absenteeism among teachers and school administrators.

She revealed that in some institutions with staff strength exceeding 75, fewer than 10 teachers were present during inspections. In one particular school with more than a thousand staff on payroll, only about 80 were on duty.

The commissioner further highlighted extreme cases of negligence, including a school principal who reappeared just days before the term ended after being absent for over a month.

In another instance, a teacher was discovered to have relocated to another state for nearly two years while still drawing a monthly salary from Katsina.

“These are issues that affect not just accountability but also the future of our children,” Musawa stressed. “In all the 20 schools I visited, not one of them had up to 60 percent of their staff present. This is unacceptable, and government will not continue to pay people who have abandoned their responsibilities.”

As part of corrective measures, the government has ordered that the affected teachers’ salaries be suspended pending a comprehensive review of their cases in September.

The Commissioner noted that the new Joint Education Sector Coordination Committee, supported by UNICEF, will play a key role in examining the matter and recommending disciplinary actions where necessary.
According to her, the committee will also strengthen oversight in the education sector, improve transparency, and encourage collaboration between stakeholders to ensure better service delivery in schools.

The suspension has sparked conversations within the state about the persistent challenge of teacher absenteeism and its damaging impact on learning outcomes. With Katsina struggling to improve education standards, authorities have vowed to ensure that teachers who fail to live up to their responsibilities are held accountable.

The final decision on whether the affected teachers will be reinstated or permanently sanctioned is expected after the September review.