In line with the directive of the Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, the Edo State Universal Basic Education Board has recruited 5,500 teachers.
The Executive Chairman of Edo SUBEB, Ozavize Salami, on Friday in Benin, the state capital, said the recruitment was to fill teachers gaps and boost teaching and learning in schools.
She noted that the teachers who went through a rigorous recruitment process would fill identified gaps in primary and junior secondary schools across the state.
She noted that 19,931 applications were received for vacant teaching positions in the teaching service out of which 16,038 were selected for computer-based tests followed by interviews.
Salami added that the candidates with skills and expertise relevant to gaps in the school system were selected and they will work across all the local government areas of the state.
She said, “This recruitment of the 5,500 personnel is part of our strategy to close the teacher gap in primary and junior secondary schools. It is another testament to Governor Obaseki’s unwavering commitment to fulfilling the promise of delivering quality education to the children of Edo State.
“Most of the new teachers are young and vibrant; they will reinvigorate the existing crop of teachers in the school system. Governor Obaseki continues to put in place measures that will sustain the position of Edo as a leader in education reform in Nigeria and beyond.”
She stated that a remarkable feature of the recruitment is that over 70 per cent of EdoSTAR fellows who were engaged as trainee teachers two years ago were recruited to be full-time government teachers.
The fellows, she noted, were signed up to a minimum wage salary and have benefited from the recent wage increase in the state which took their salary from N40,000 to N70,000 in May 2024.
Edo SUBEB boss revealed that of the 5,500 new recruits, 2,500 would be permanent government teachers,; while 3,000 would refill the approved EdoSTAR positions and commence a new phase of a three-year fellowship programme.
She added that 125 experienced education managers would also be recruited as part of transitioning and sustaining the EdoBEST programme.
The newly recruited teachers were hired in line with the aspiration of Obaseki to consolidate the gains of the programme to date and to continue the focus on improving the learning outcomes of approximately 400,000 children in state-owned primary and junior schools(basic schools) across the state.