The Imo Government says it has began facilitating the process for the recruitment of 10,000 additional primary school teachers in the state.
The state’s Commissioner for Education, Prof. Johncliffe Nwadike made the disclosure while interacting with journalists in Owerri, on Tuesday.
Nwadike described the move as part of the state government’s efforts to improve the quality of education and create massive employment to ease the pressure on the labour market.
He said that more special schools for physically challenged persons as well as adult literacy centres would also be built and equipped to create room for additional employment opportunities.
This, he said, would help restore confidence of parents in public educational system while discouraging the patronage of private schools some of which he described as “substandard and only interested in financial gains.”
“Plans for the employment of 10,000 primary school teachers are in top gear, we have begun to set the modalities and soon, the call for application for the positions will be officially announced.
“We want to change people’s perspective of public schools and that is why all arrangements have been put in place to ensure that we give the best to our people.
“Nobody pays for tuition in primary and secondary schools in the state yet, we organise free extra mural classes for the pupils,” he said.
He called on well meaning Imo people to assist government’s efforts in the area of security by erecting fences around primary schools, especially in the rural areas to checkmate movement of pupils.
He further said that Principals and Heads of schools in the state have been instructed to reintroduce interhouse sports competitions and other extracurricular activities to attract interest to public schools.
According to him, teachers in the state are paid regularly hence cogent measures being taken by government to address issues of alleged extortion of students by teachers.
He called for all hands to be on deck to enable Gov. Hope Uzodimma actualise his objectives for the education sector in the state.