L-R: Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi; flanked by Head of Sevice, Ekiti State, Mr. Bunmi Famosaya, MNI (Left); and Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Dapo Kolawole, (Right), at an interactive session with Civil Servants from Grade Level 1-6, during the Maiden Edition of Year 2012 Public Service Forum, in Ado-Ekiti... on Tuesday.
Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi has debunked rumours making the rounds that his administration had sacked some principals that failed the Principals’ examination which was conducted last year and that the proposed Teachers Development Needs Assessment (TDNA) is aimed at retrenching teachers.
Governor Fayemi explained that the Principals’ examination was occasioned by the merger of Junior and Senior secondary schools which, inevitably, led to a reduction in the number of school principals. He maintained that those who failed the examination still maintained their grade level but had a change of status.
The Governor who disclosed this in Ado Ekiti on Tuesday at the first edition of the 2012 Public Service Forum, said the rumours that the proposed TDNA is to sack teachers who fail the examination has no iota of truth. The rumour according to him, is merely a figment of imagination of detractors who are not bothered with the poor state of the education sector; adding that rather than sack any of the principals, the state government elevated three of them who performed excellently as Tutors- General.
He added that the action was neither malicious nor vindictive but has benefited the school system now with the schools performing better than before.
The Governor who stressed that the TDNA examination was a decision reached at the Education Summit held last year, added that it was aimed at repositioning the sector. He lamented that teachers themselves are aware of the challenges facing the sector hence they always take their wards and children to private schools instead of public schools.
While re-assuring the teachers of job security, Fayemi pleaded with them to take the assessment examination; saying that Teachers have a crucial role to play in repositioning of the state education sector as the fountain of knowledge.
On the delay in payment of new minimum wage to local government workers, the Governor assured that the workers in the third tier of government would enjoy the largesse as soon as the irregularities that characterized the payment of CONMESS and CONHESS, special salary packages for medical and health workers in the local government are sorted out.
He added that many administrative staff in the local government areas also lay claim to being health workers and this has necessitated the step taken by government through the Primary Health Care Development Agency to review the list of authentic health and medical workers so that they too might enjoy the largesse in earnest.
On welfare packages for workers, the Governor disclosed that the state government has just injected N200 million into the Housing loan scheme so that more workers can benefit while efforts are in top gear to facilitate Housing loan to the tune of N800 million through the Federal Mortgage Bank for the workers.
Fayemi added that the payment of 2012 leave bonus has commenced and the first set of beneficiaries would be paid this month while all workers would be paid before the year ends.
Commenting on the delay in the payment of June salary by a week, the Governor said he has not reneged on his promise to pay salaries by the 20th of every month but attributed such to the delay in distribution of monthly allocation by the federal government over the past three months; saying that the state government have had cause to get bridging loan to pay up as and when due.
Fayemi added that the failure of some workers to meet the requirements of the electronic payment system also necessitated the delay as some workers registered with joint accounts as well as accounts kept with micro-finance banks which do not run e-payment.
He stressed that the e-payment system is designed to ensure efficiency in salary payment as well as prevent government from being extorted by “ghost workers” who found their ways into the payroll system through the manual payment system; adding that all issues related to e-payment system have now been resolved.
Earlier in his remarks, the Head of Service, Mr. Bunmi Famosaya had said that the forum was organized to consolidate the cordial relationship that exists between government and the workers and to keep them abreast of government’s efforts.
Famosaya said though government is out to better the lot of the masses, it would not be able to do this successfully without the workers who are the engine room of government’s programmes and policies.
He said the interactive session would enable workers ask questions from the Governor directly on issues bordering on their welfare and condition of service but recalled that the Fayemi-led administration has done a lot to improve the welfare of workers as it has restored car and housing loans which were stopped by the previous administration, paid new minimum wage and given two mass transit buses to transport workers to their various places of work.
Last modified: July 11, 2012
