Jigawa Introduces Competency Test for Teachers

Jigawa State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) has introduced a competency test for teachers to assess their skills and determine appropriate capacity training programmes.

Chairman of the board, Professor Haruna Musa, disclosed this during a briefing with journalists on the board’s preparations for the exercise.

He explained that the initiative was part of Governor Umar Namadi’s efforts to enhance learning outcomes in the state, particularly at the foundation level.

He said, “You cannot achieve meaningful improvement in learning outcomes without competent teachers. We introduced this test to evaluate each teachers’ capacity and determine the specific training they need to meet the required standards. This aligns with our agenda to tackle learning poverty and improve foundational skills in the state.”

The test, which will be conducted electronically, will allow each teacher to know their scores and the category they fall under.

“We will categorise them into three groups: (a) competent and qualified teachers, (b) competent but not qualified teachers, and (c) non-competent but qualified teachers. The first category will serve as facilitators, while the other two will receive targeted training,” he said.

Professor Haruna clarified that the test is not meant to dismiss any teacher but rather to identify their training needs for better performance.

He noted that in the past, the same set of teachers often attended repeated training sessions.

“We want to change this approach and ensure every teacher receives the right capacity-building training for improved results,” he added.