FG to employ 500,000 teachers

The federal government has disclosed plans to recruit 500,000 new teachers to bolster the academic activities in the 104 unity colleges across the country.

Disclosing this to newsmen during the inauguration of a female hostel at the Federal Science and Technical College, Yaba, the minister of state for education, Prof. Anthony Anwuka said the recruitment of the teachers will be done through the various PTA’s of the colleges.

Anwuka however noted that only qualified teachers would be given consideration to teach in the nation’s schools.

He said: “We will only employ qualified teachers and this is because we want only the best for our schools. “If we end up employing the entire 500,000 that we intend to employ, it will be tied to getting the best with the requisite teacher training knowledge. “Gone are the days when anyone would be saying I want employment, I want to teach, even without the necessary training.

“This had done a lot of damage to the system and we want to correct it now,’’ the minister said. He lauded the management of Federal Science and Technical College, Yaba, for the achievements and urged it to ensure that the projects were jealously guarded. Anwuka also promised to replace some of the non-functional and moribund machines and equipments in some of the workshop in the college.”

Meanwhile, the industrial action embarked on by the NLC has recorded low turnout in most states, though some parts of Enugu, Oyo, Ondo and Lagos state joined the protest, the strike was considered a failure in Anambra Rivers Bauchi Yobe Adamawa and Jigawa state.