Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, on Thursday inaugurated 6,030 newly recruited teachers and 345 non-teaching staff into the state civil service as part of efforts to address teacher shortages and strengthen staffing in public schools across the state.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony in Owerri, Uzodimma said the recruitment was a major step towards revitalising the education sector, adding that the new teachers had been deployed to public schools within their native communities to ensure a fair distribution of personnel and reduce the staffing gap between rural and urban schools.
The governor said the recruitment was designed to address the acute shortage of teachers and restore dignity to the teaching profession in Imo State.
“I want to make Imo teachers the most important civil servants in the state,” Uzodimma said, while promising that the payment of their salaries would remain a top priority for the government.
Uzodimma also announced plans to distribute digital teaching devices to the newly recruited teachers. He charged them to protect school infrastructure, maintain hygienic learning environments and build close relationships with parents and community leaders.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Primary and Secondary Education, Prof. Bernard Ikegwuoha, described the mass recruitment as a “historic milestone” resulting from a comprehensive assessment of staffing needs across all 27 local government areas of the state.
Ikegwuoha said the recruitment was part of broader education reforms in Imo State, which also include the recovery and renaming of Kingsley Ozumba Mbadiwe University and the establishment of new tertiary institutions.
Responding on behalf of the newly recruited teachers, Mrs Philomena Maduako thanked the governor for creating the employment opportunity and pledged their commitment to improving educational standards in line with state government policies.
The event also featured the symbolic presentation of computer tablets to selected teachers, while other beneficiaries were directed to collect theirs after completing their biometric enrolment.
