From Mokwugwo Solomon, Awka
It was celebration galore on Friday, December 2, 2022, when Gov Charles Soludo of Anambra State presented appointment letters to 5000 persons recently recruited into the teaching profession in the state.
The ceremony, which took place at the International Conference Center, Awka, attracted dignitaries from different walks of life, including government officials, civil servants and community leaders.
Governor Soludo said that the exercise was in fulfilment of his campaign promises. He said that 2,500 teachers were recruited into the secondary education while another 2,500 were recruited into the primary education.
He said a total of 40,120, 000 applications were received in the exercise, out of which 5, 000 were recruited on merit.
The governor, who disclosed that the appointment took effect from December 1, 2022, congratulated the teachers, and assured that the state would do everything possible to prioritize the welfare of teachers and pupils.
Commissioner for Education in the state, Prof Ngozi Chuma-Udeh, praised Governor Soludo for his thoughtfulness in injecting new blood into the teaching profession, adding that before the present exercise, there was a great lacuna in the teaching profession in the state.
The commissioner, who described the exercise as timely, said the last time teachers’ recruitment was done in the state was in 1998 when 4,000 teachers were employed. She urged the teachers to strive towards excellence in their profession.
The chairman of the Anambra State Universal Basic Education Board (ASUBEB), Dr Vera Nkiru Nwadinobi, said that the teachers were engaged based on capacity, competence and subject area content knowledge.
“We also looked at ICT compliance; sciences and technical subjects. Candidates with disabilities, and those from educationally disadvantaged areas were also considered,” she said.
The state chairman, Post Primary Education Service Commission (PPSSC), Prof Nkechi Ikediugwu, noted that Anambra schools lacked teachers in all the subjects, especially the core areas like the English language, Igbo language, mathematics, French, and the sciences.
According to her, the state engaged 254 English language teachers, 156 mathematics teachers, 350 biology teachers, 226 chemistry teachers, 84 physics teachers, 88 computer science teachers, 60 Igbo language teachers, 26 French teachers, 114 technical education teachers, 157 economics teachers, among other subject areas.
She said that the 5000 teachers were recruited without the commission taking gratification from any candidate, adding that the recruitment process followed the new curriculum structure.
