Shettima Plans To Recruit 1,000 Primary, Secondary School Teachers...Says Serving Teaching Staff Incompetent, inadequate
Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State has revealed that his government will soon recruit 1000 primary and secondary school teachers into the state civil service.
He also said that the proposed teaching staff recruitment will include the engagement of hundreds volunteer teachers who will be willing to teach in the state primary and secondary schools across 27 LGAs of the state.
The governor stated this when the Vice Chancellor of University of Maiduguri, Professor Abubakar Ibrahim Njodi led other Principal Staff of the University on Eid Kabir sallah homage to the governor at the Government House, Maiduguri yesterday.
He added that the recruitment became necessary as a result of the low level of qualified teaching staff and need for competent and capable teachers to inculcate knowledge on the younger ones who the future generation of the country.
Shettima also explained that his seven year's administration was actually characterized with unpredictable Boko Haram killings and wanton destructions including many schools based on the findings of World Health Organization (WHO) and European Union (EU) records which revealed that the Boko Haram crisis left behind over 54,000 widows and 52,000 orphans that are presently displaced on refuge and IDPs camps.
Governor Shettima however maintained that in spite of the teething security challenges facing the state since he assumed office in the last 7years, the government with the meagre resources at its disposal was able to build over 40 Model schools equipped with digital Information and Communication Technology (ICT) across the state.
He also noted that, there was the need for the government to recruit new teaching staff and place on the payroll of the state civil Service to teach in schools including himself and others who have indicated interest to volunteer and teach free of charge to compliment the efforts of the serving teachers to address brain drain syndrome.
“I want to state that, the blind cannot teach the blind, most of our teachers are incompetent and cannot teach our students the way it is suppose to be.
"We must look for the competent hands to replace those malnourished and teach our upcoming younger ones, because education is a key to peaceful society and development.
" I want to thank you (Professor Njodi) and your entourage for this Sallah visit which is going to be the last for me as governor, as you are all aware that my tenure expires in May next year.”
“I want to commend your leadership style in the university which is also my alma mata. At a point in time, Professors, PhD holders, lecturers and students in the university community were killed in some of the attacks launched by the Boko Haram insurgents in the institution, but the university under your leadership has never been closed for a day due to these attacks because of the resilience.
“So, to me, you are 1000 times better to me than some of our acclaimed Borno Politicians who had in the peak of the crisis relocated out of the state with their families and livestock to Abuja and other safer zones,.
"Left us in agony, and only to come back home now when the electioneering period is around the corner and surprisingly want to dictate my successor for us in the ruling All Progressive Congress, (APC)," Shettima said.
Speaking earlier, the VC, Unimaid, Abubakar Ibrahim Professor Njodi said, they were at the Government House to felicitate with the government and people of Borno during the Eid e Kabir sallah celebration.
He also commended the governor for his support to the University, especially, in the areas of provisions of security, road construction at the complex area and hostel accommodation to the students among other interventions.