Kwara State Government at the weekend said about 600 new teachers would be recruited to fill the different vacant subject areas in the primary schools as part of the move to enhance the quality and standard of education in the state.
The government said the development became imperative following retirement, death, and relocation among others.
A statement issued in Ilorin by the Chairman of, the Universal Basic Education Board (KWSUBEB), Prof. Raheem Adaramaja, said these vacancies are being filled essentially from the pool of qualified applicants from its previous recruitment exercise of 2021.
According to him, “This is due to the cost and length of time associated with a new recruitment exercise, and in recognition of the possibility that the bulk of applicants in a new recruitment process will come from those who had previously participated in the last exercise.
“The new vacancies arose as a result of retirements, deaths, relocation, and other factors.”
The statement, which was signed by the Press Secretary of the board, Mrs Aminat Atere, said: “We wish to inform the public that the state Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has approved the recruitment of 600 teachers to fill existing vacancies that we have.
“These vacancies are being filled from the rich bank of qualified applicants from the previous exercise who did not make the cut on account of the relevancy of their subject areas, high competition from their local government areas, and some other indices.
“These vacancies are being filled strictly with the same criteria used in the previous exercise in the interest of our education sector. The only difference is that there will be no call for new applications.
“In certain extreme circumstances, where we are unable to fill vacancies in some rural areas, as we have seen following the last recruitment exercise, we allow community nominations of certified individuals with NCE and competencies in relevant subject areas that have agreed to extend stay in the communities as a condition of employment.
“This is not open-ended as no abuse will be entertained in the process. This exception is to solve the seemingly intractable problem of teachers not wanting to stay in the rural areas, with grave consequences for the future of children living in the hinterlands.”