Lawrence Bajah | Abuja
THE Federal Capital Territory Secondary Education Board (FCT-SEB), in its bid to ensure that the teaching staff remains committed and productive has concluded the staff emolument verification exercise in Abuja.
The director of FCT-SEB, Dr Sani Mohammed Ladan, who led the management team on the verification exercise in public senior secondary schools of the six area councils in the FCT said that the exercise is a new initiative by the board to verify staff’s credibility and presence in schools.
He explained that the on-the-spot assessment is a viable tool for background checks on staff both in the city and rural areas where the senior schools are located to detect some lapses such as negligence of duty and issues of ghost workers who receive salaries and allowances on a monthly basis but are not on ground physically to render any service.
Dr Ladan, who visited the schools in the Bwari Area Council, said the verification procedures involved thorough checks on the correct filling of the emolument forms with a particular attention on the Tax Identification Number (TIN), National Housing Scheme Identification Number, Contributory Pension Number and staff attendance records to measure punctuality and efficiency on the job.
He added that the exercise would help the board to know the appropriate data of the teaching and non-teaching staff in schools for proper planning and to avoid wastage of resources and employment of wrong persons into the teaching profession.
Ladan revealed that the orientation exercise for both old and new staff would soon commence to help them in the discharge of their duties and to know the fundamentals of staff.
He reminded the staff of their responsibilities as teachers and role models, urging them to continue to add value to the teaching system by imparting knowledge and moulding the lives of the students in their custody for a brighter future.
He warned them against nonchalant and irresponsible attitudes or the habit of encouraging vices among students as anyone caught would be sanctioned
The FCT-SEB boss commended school principals for their cooperation with the verification team who moved round the SEB’s schools in the six area councils to ensure its success, assuring them of provision of necessary working tools for effectiveness and efficiency on the job.
In their various responses, the verified staff affirmed that the exercise was a welcome development as it helped the board to validate the staff records while it also provided proof of their productivity in their various schools.
They also commended the director for his leadership and efforts towards protecting the reputation of the board and for building staff confidence while they promised to continue to put in their best on the job.
The intensive staff emolument verification exercise, which was carried out in all the 88 senior secondary schools in the FCT, lasted for a week.
