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Nathaniel Gbaoron, Lafia
The Nasarawa State government has approved the recruitment of additional 550 teachers to fill existing gaps in the educational sector of the state.
The approval comes after the formalisation of over 2,000 teachers appointed by the immediate past administration of Sen. Umaru Al-makura, as well as the recruitment of 400 teachers by the present administration.
The Governor of the state, Abdullahi Sule disclosed this while declaring open a 3-day workshop for principals of secondary schools across the state, held at Government Science Secondary School, Lafia.
Sule, however, charged the Nasarawa State Teachers’ Service Commission to ensure that only candidates with capacity and competence are recruited as teachers.
He noted that the erstwhile chairman of the commission was suspended due to underhand dealings in the process of recruiting the last 400 teachers in the state.
“I am warning the Teachers’ Service Commission once more, that as far as I am concerned, I have not given the name of my brother, my sister, my in-laws or relatives.
“I will not approve any list brought to me that has the names of brothers and sisters and relatives of VIPs. I want competent teachers irrespective of where they come from,” he said.
The governor reassured the commitment of his administration to provide a conducive teaching and learning environment, saying that the state will not be left out in implementing the teachers act undergoing the process of enactment.
He, therefore, directed the Head of Service and other relevant agencies to monitor the process of the promulgation of the new national teachers act, with a view to advising the government for prompt domestication and implementation.
The governor commended the state’s Ministry of Education for conceiving the idea of the workshop aimed at improving efficiency and building the capacity of principals in secondary schools for enhanced productivity.
He said the theme of the workshop was in line with the desire of his administration to reposition the educational system in the state, adding that the topics earmarked for the workshop will enrich the principals by strengthening their performances in the management of education in the post primary level in the state.
Sule stressed the importance of education to the development of a nation, saying it remains the bedrock of economic development of every society which has continued to play vital roles in the transformation of all spheres of human endeavour.
He therefore called on participants at the workshop to pay attention to the programme and demonstrate the lessons they will learn at the 3-days training.
In his remark, convener of the workshop, Prof. Mohammed Kida, described the roles played by principals as important variables for educational standards and quality education in a nation.
“Schools need powerful and effective principals willing to foster a high level of student achievement and an effective organisational climate of their schools to make future generations successful,” he said.
According to him, the principals whose responsibilities are multi-dimensional, need to be motivated, upgraded and dignified so that they influence and properly monitor the behaviour and academic climate of teachers and students effectively.
Kida stated that 250 principals from both private and public secondary schools, comprising 200 from public and 50 from private schools, will participate in the three-days workshop, with a selection of professors and seasoned educationists as resource persons.
He, therefore, commended Governor Sule for achieving a lot in three years, saying the governor has demonstrated passion for repositioning the state for a brighter and better Nasarawa State.
Earlier, state Commissioner of Education, Hajiya Fatu Sabo, said the workshop couldn’t have come at a better time than when all efforts were geared towards repositioning the education sector.
Sabo noted that since the assumption of office, Sule has remained committed to repositioning the education sector towards meeting the aspirations of the people.
She commended the governor for giving the lion share of the state’s annual budget to education, starting with 26 percent in 2020, 32 percent in 2021 and 36 percent in 2022, which she said was unprecedented even by continental standards.
MoneyCentral gathered that the theme of the workshop “Consolidating the Gains of Repositioning the Educational Sector in Nasarawa State Through Effective Schools Management and Administration: A Concern for Principals” had in attendance the President of All Nigeria Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools, state Parent Teachers Association, National Association of Proprietors of Secondary Schools, Association of Private School Owners of Nigeria and Chairman, Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools, as well as the Head of Civil Service, Mr Abari Nicholas Aboki among others.