NUT Supports Return Of Vice-Principals, Asst.Head Teachers To Classrooms,..Says Ondo Needs 15,000 Teachers

Ondo State wing of the Nigeria Union of Teachers NUT has revealed that 15,000 teachers would be required to fill the existing vacancies in public primary and secondary schools in the state

The State Chairman of NUT, Comrade Victor Amoko who revealed this on Sunday to Edu-Biznews in an interview on telephone, however expressed  strong support for the last Thursday's directive of Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu to the Vice-Principals of secondary schools and Assistant Head Teachers of primary schools to return to classrooms as part of short-term measures to address acute shortage of teachers in the state

He described the governor's directive as a rescue mission to address the emergency situation in public primary and secondary schools and save it from imminent collapse

According to him,"8,000 teachers will be needed in primary schools while 7,000 are required in secondary schools in the state to address the acute shortage of teachers"

He blamed the shortage of teachers on last administration of Dr.Olusegun Mimiko who failed to recruite teachers for eight years of his tenure despite several efforts of the union, until the present admnistration who recruited 1,200 teachers in March, 2021 after the last recruitment done by previous administration of Olusegun Agagu in 2007 

Amoko added that 700 personnel of Local Governments in the state had earlier transfered their services to primary schools before the recruitment of 1,200 teachers in March, 2021, to increase the number to 1,900 injected into both primary and secondary schools

He disclosed that recruitment was made possible after the union wrote to the State Government two years ago on the need to recruit teachers which the governor gave his express approval but could only recruite 1,200 because of the negative effect of COVID-19 pandemic which had eaten deep into the financial resources of the government

The State NUT Chairman says that shortage of teachers is not percuiar to Ondo State, saying Ekiti, Ogun, Edo and other states are experiencing similar situation