By Wilson Adekumola
The Imo State Government has announced its intention to employ 10,000 Primary School Teachers for its educational system.
According to Tribune, the State Commissioner for Education, Prof. Johncliff Nwadike made this disclosure while speaking with journalists, in Owerri on Tuesday.
While assuring that the employment exercise will commence soon, he stated that government has concluded all necessary arrangements to make the process seamless.
He said the purpose of engaging 10,000 new teachers is to breathe new life into the school system in the state.
Prof. Nwadike said government has also planned to extend the gesture to Secondary Schools, saying that the recruitment of new teachers for Secondary Schools in the state will begin as soon as the primary school exercise concluded.
He said, “The government template and adverts are ready and very soon it will start”.
The Commissioner said, however, government’s would not condone any teacher who rejects posting from Urban areas to rural communities in the state.
According to him, henceforth any transfer of teachers in the state must pass through the table of the Commissioner adding that this measure is to addres the abnormalities.
Criticizing the usual Urban to Urban city transfer of teachers, Prof. Nwadike said government has made concerted effort to our an end to such practice.
He disclosed the government’s plans to ensure proper distribution of teachers to schools in the State adding that already some teachers have been sanctioned through demotion for their failure to comply with these directives.
He said, “Very soon the government will carry out a total overhauling of teachers in the state to ensure that the right things are done”.
While noting the menace of insecurity in the state, the Commissioner called on town unions and communities to appeal to their wealthy sons and daughters to join hands with government to provide adequate security for their schools in the areas and ensuring that schools are fenced.
Prof. Nwadike reassured government commitment to renovate both primary and secondary schools, appealing to PTAs to support the engagement of local security to guide the schools.
The Commissioner who frowned at the report of what he described as extortion and imposition of illegal levies by some school principals, vowed to move in immediately with the view of stopping such act.
He then denied reports that the state government was planning to ban mixed schools in the state.
