By Gbenga Akingbule
Borno State Governor, Prof Babagana Zulum on Thursday approved the immediate recruitment of four thousand (4,000) new teachers to be deployed to public primary and secondary schools across the State.
Gatekeepers News reports that this is the final approval endorsed by Governor Zulum as the teachers have already been evaluated and shortlisted according to a statement released by Mallam Isa Gusau, spokesman to Governor Zulum.
According to Gusau, of the 4,000 new teachers, a total of 3,000 of them are to be deployed to government primary schools across the state while 1,000 teachers are to be sent to government secondary schools also across the state.
“The 3,000 primary school teachers are mostly NCE holders who make up 77. 4%, Degree Holders- 22.2% and HND holders- 0.6%.
“The 1,000 secondary teachers include 5 masters degree holders, 658 bachelor degree holders (constituting 66% of all), 8 HND holders mostly graduates of technology, 130 NCE holders (constituting 13% mostly for subjects like French, English literature, Hausa, Technology, civic education etc which graduate-applicants couldn’t be found to teach) l.
“There are also 11 diploma holders of science, and laboratory technology employed as lab attendants while there are 23 Matrons and 68 cooks to serve students.
“All the 4,000 shortlisted teachers were meticulously selected after they proved competent to teach in primary and secondary schools. ” Gusau said.
The Governor’s spokesman revealed that a total of 19,305 persons applied for the teachers’ recruitment out of which 10,470 wrote the assessment examinations on various subjects taught in primary and secondary schools.
He stated that 621 applicants scored distinctions (A’s) in various subjects after they were scored while 162 scored merit (B’s) in various subjects.
” All those who scored distinctions and merit were shortlisted for recruitment while some of the best amongst those with fewer scores were shortlisted to teach subjects like French, Literature, etc. in which they were found competent to teach,” Gusau said.
Recall that in February 2021, a committee set up by Governor Zulum to conduct
Basic Literacy and Numeracy Competency Assessment of primary school teachers across Borno’s 27 Local Government Areas found that of 17,229 teachers who were assessed, only 5,439 representing 31.6% were found to be competent enough to teach, while 3,815 constituting 22.1% were found to be incompetent to teach and untrainable.
The committee found 7,975 constituting 46.3% to be trainable.
The committee also found that Borno had 1,627 teachers with degrees, 8,153 NCE holders, 2,066 diploma holders, 713 teachers grade II holders, and 2,281 SSCE/GCE holders while 2,389 constituting 13.9% of all the teachers were without any formal qualification.
Governor Zulum directed that competent teachers be paid minimum wage while incompetent teachers be moved to non-teaching government establishments.
He directed a committee to invite and shortlist competent teachers through rigorous assessment examinations, from which 4,000 teachers have now emerged.
Meanwhile, the names of all shortlisted 4,000 teachers have been released by the committee on teacher recruitment.
The list is to be pasted as notices on public spaces at the Musa Usman State Secretariat, the state’s Ministry of Education, the Teaching Service Board (TSB) and the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).
