No fewer than 6,700 applicants are vying for 380 teaching positions in various secondary schools in Enugu State.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the examination for the positions took place on Saturday in several designated centers, drawing large crowds of hopeful candidates.
Fr. Hilary Mgbodile, Chairman of the Enugu State Post Primary School Management Board, told NAN that over 12,000 applications were initially received. From these, 6,700 candidates were shortlisted to fill the 380 vacancies left by retirees.
Examinations were held at five centers: Union Boys Secondary School, Queen School Enugu, Holy Rosary College, College of Immaculate Conception, and Trans Ekulu Girls Secondary School. The subjects tested included English, Information Communication Technology (ICT), Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry.
Mgbodile noted the intense competition, highlighting that over 2,000 applicants aimed to teach English, and 1,700 applied for just 80 ICT positions.
“We are picking the best of the best, which is the only consideration and parameter for the selection of the teachers,” he said.
Should the initial testing fail to identify sufficiently qualified candidates, the board plans to call for more applications, expressing optimism about finding the needed talent from the current pool.
To maintain high standards, the recruitment process was managed by an independent company to ensure meritocracy and objectivity.
Mgbodile explained that many applications were rejected because some applicants were non-indigenes, over-aged (the age limit was set at 45), lacked requisite qualifications, or applied to teach subjects unrelated to their field of study.
The recruitment initiative was driven by a noticeable shortage of teachers in secondary schools, especially in rural areas, as observed by the board upon taking office in 2023.
Following Governor Peter Mbah’s directive, teachers were reassigned from urban to rural schools to address this imbalance.
Further assessments revealed significant gaps in science and other core subject teachers, prompting the recommendation and approval for new hires.
Mgbodile emphasized the goal of restoring confidence in public education: “We want to make it easier for parents to stop borrowing while taking their children to private and mission schools.”
He praised Governor Mbah’s leadership and commitment to this vision, aiming to enhance the legacy of teaching and learning in Enugu State.
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