The big news around is the planned sack of over 21,000 teachers in Kaduna State, who failed competence tests administered on them. The shocking discovery (is it really?) that many of the teachers could not pass tests for primary four pupils stirred up reactions from every quarter. Shortly after Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai announced his planned replacement of the poor performing teachers, either through compulsory retirement for those who have served more than five years or disengagement for those who have served for less than five years, the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) have taken to the streets.
Leading the protests, which crippled economic activities in the city, the unions insisted on an outright reversal of the decision claiming the state government was not authorized to conduct the test in the first place. Such a show of shame is now being treated with legalese by heads of the unions who should be massaging their red faces over what has become a culture of ineptness in their union. From Ekiti State to Edo and now Kaduna, the quagmire has assumed alarming dimension.
Interestingly, the action of the Kaduna State government has also received knocks beyond organized labour, while some have described the action as a violation of the dignity of the teachers. Others have averred that it is unfair to single out the teachers, claiming that the ineptitude is not exclusive preserve of the teachers. One cheeky commentator even stated that some governors may not pass the same test!
’The problem of incompetence is deep in the country – in every profession, medical, accountancy, law, banking, engineering, etc, and not just in teaching. It is a whirlwind of neglect, corruption and politicking sown over the years. People who were not well taught cannot teach well or practice well. It is a vicious cycle. Let’s not visit it all on teachers alone overnight.’- Samuel Olatunji, Chairman, Board of Trustees, Trinity College, Ofada, Ogun State.
A major tragedy of our national life is the acceptance of mediocrity as the norm. We celebrate average, the enemy of proficiency as suitability.
The militant disposition of the unions will not quench the thirst for competence demanded by the people in whose lives the teachers play a formative role. By implication, if the teachers who form the foundation for life skills are incompetent, then their products in all fields of human endeavor will reflect their incapableness – the underlying cause of perennial under-development and ever widening skill gap. From the vulcanizer to the mechanic, drivers of economic development cannot give a good account of themselves when occasion demands. In reality, the bane of our labour market is unemployability as opposed to unemployment, which features more prominently as a challenge to development.
The nexus between etiquette and competence is that both have defined expected behavior in a given setting. In the workplace, competence is key. Being good at what you do bestows a measure of confidence consciously or otherwise. People who know their onions leave a good impression and constitute a major source of motivation. The resultant improvement in productivity and profitability makes success predictable.
On the other hand, the mediocre feel insecure and demotivated; the dearth of confidence constrains the individual to struggle through life and career. Sadly many are comfortable with being average, generally regarded as best of the worst and worst of the best.
Fortunately competence can be acquired through experience and a willingness to learn and adapt. Savvy people take their work seriously, because they understand that greatness is wrapped in work. In return, the expertise is amply rewarded, that is why “experts” are treated as visitors from outer space.
Life is about progress and continuous improvement, you can scale up your competency level, become a better you today.