Oyo State Government has given details of the recent employment into its teaching service.
It said 140,000 people applied to teach in its secondary schools, out of which it could only take 5,000.
Of those employed, 167 hold the prestigious PhD.
It is, however, not clear yet if their rating is on the basis of the qualification.
The Seyi Makinde government also noted that, of the 140,000 who applied, only 6.5 per cent scored 50 per cent and above in the competence test they were subjected to.
According to ‘The Nation’, the Chairman of the state’s Post-Primary School Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM), Pastor Akinade Alamu, noted this.
The commission’s Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Grace Oderinde, was also quoted as saying that 167 of the newly recruited teachers hold PhD in various fields, adding that 550 of the successful candidates were non-indigenes of Oyo State because Governor Seyi Makinde insisted that only the best must be recruited into the schools, irrespective of their states of origin.
“The governor had no candidate. He directed that anyone to be recruited must pass the test and make the cut-off point. It didn’t matter if the candidate was the governor’s brother or sister.
“With that, TESCOM has set the standard, and I am sure that other agencies will emulate us. This government values merit because of its commitment to bringing the desired change into the system,” she said.
According to her, 400 applicants hold First-Class degrees in various disciplines.
Those who did not study Education were given two years to complete a post-graduate diploma in the discipline.
Mrs. Oderinde said the new teachers were posted according to the needs of the various zones across the state.
