THE Kwara Government has disengaged 600 primary and junior secondary school teachers over alleged appointment irregularities.

The teachers, who were employed in the last one year, were given the sack letters by the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).

Some of the affected teachers, who spoke in Ilorin on Wednesday, alleged that they were wrongly sacked by the board.

The state Commissioner for Education and Human Development, Alhaji Mohammed Raji, and the Chairman of SUBEB, Mr Lanre Daibu, confirmed that the teachers were not sacked but disengaged.

Raji said that the State Government discovered irregularities in their appointments, adding that the standing policy for recruiting workers was not followed by the board in their appointment.

He said that the government was given the impression that only few teachers would be recruited in areas of needs to replace those retired.

He, however, said the government discovered that those recruited were over 600.

The commissioner noted that government's procedure for recruitment was that those to be employed should be from the unemployment pool or Kwara State Bridge Employment Scheme (KWABES).

He said that the essence of the registration and training of unemployed youths in the state was to gradually absorb those enrolled under the scheme into both private and public sectors.

Also speaking, Daibu explained that those recruited before the inauguration of his board last year were not properly employed.

According to him, some of the teachers with NCE are not screened nor attended any interview written or oral before they are employed.

The chairman said that those employed through the right process like KWABES would be recalled, adding that the exercise was carried out to give way for due process.

Daibu pointed out that government accorded much priority to education and development of human resources, noting that it could not compromise standard, quality and due process.

He said that it was the policy of the present administration to recruit only from the registered unemployed people.

Daibu also denied allegation that the directors involved in the illegal employment had been transferred from the board.

He said that the transfer of some of the directors was part of the civil service exercise.