The Edo State Government says it has attained 95% teacher employment with 11,288 teachers in both primary and junior secondary schools in the state.
Ozavize Salami, Chairman, Edo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) stated this to newsmen in Benin City during a news conference.
Salami said the State needed 11,558 teachers to achieve 100% of teachers’ coverage in the basic education in the State.
The Edo SUBEB chairman said the State Government had between May and June, 2024 completed a recruitment of 5,500 teachers to boost teaching and learning in the State’s basic schools.
She said the recruitment was part of the strategy to close the teachers’ gap in primary and junior secondary schools.
According to her, in early 2024, His Excellency, Governor Godwin Obaseki approved a proposal to recruit 5,625 teachers and education managers to fill existing gaps 2,500 permanent teachers, 3000 EdoStar and 125 education managers into our basic education schools
“The recruitment process was rigorous, with 19,931 applications received and 16,038 selected for computer-based tests and interviews.
“Out of the figures 11,025 candidates (71%) shortlisted attended the Computer Based Test.
“For the oral interview 7,628 candidates were invited while 7,088 candidates attended the interview.
“Candidates with skills and expertise relevant to gaps in the school system were selected to fill gaps across all local government areas”,she said.
The SUBEB boss said the newly recruited teachers would undergo training and capacity building to ensure they are equipped to deliver quality education.
Salami asserted that Governor Obaseki’s commitment to education reform popularly known as EdoBEST had positioned the State as a leader in Nigeria, with a focus on improving learning outcomes for approximately 400,000 children.
She described the recruitment exercise of 5,500 teachers as a significant step towards achieving this goal.
Of this number, she said 1780 EdoSTAR fellows, who were engaged as trainee teachers two years ago, were recruited as full-time Government teachers.
She also added that 720 top-performing candidates were recruited (Non-EdoStar) while 1,671 new EdoStar fellows were employed.
The Edo SUBEB chairman said the exercise demonstrated the State Government’s commitment to investing in its teachers and providing opportunities for growth and development.
The newly recruited teachers, she said, had been deployed to schools across the State based on the observed gap, to ensure that every child has access to quality education.
Salami expressed her excitement, saying “We are confident that this recruitment will have a positive impact on teaching and learning in our basic schools.”
