Posting:Abia Ministry of Basic & Secondary Education sets up Help Desk to address new teachers’ concerns
The Abia State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Elder Goodluck Ubochi has urged the newly recruited Teachers in the Second Cohort Teachers’ recruitment exercise to report to the the schools where they are posted to , and to identify with Principal and Head Teachers of the schools where they are posted to.
This is even as the Commissioner has announced that his Ministry has set up a Help Desk where the newly employed teachers in the State who have any concerns about where he or she is posted to, could approach for guidance and assistance.
This followed the report that is coming on the heel of reports that many of the 4,074 newly employed teachers in the State who were posted to rural communities, rejected the postings.
Elder Ubochi who was briefing the press about the posting of the new Teachers, appealed to the new Teachers to consider their postings to various schools in different communities, including the hinterlands, as a service to the State.
He promised that a special payment package had already been approved by Governor Alex Otti to be paid to teachers who work in schools located in the hinterlands, saying that the improved package would be paid to the Teachers if the evidence of their working in those areas are established.
Elder Goodluck Ubochi who said that Governor Alex Otti’s administration simultaneously developing education in the rural and urban areas, said that his Ministry was ensuring that brilliant pupils and students in all communities are provided with adequate teaching staff in needed subject areas.
According to him, the best future scientists and other brilliant pupils could be identified from schools in rural areas of the State, adding that there was the need to ensure a match in pupils-teachers ratio, and also the need to ensure that any identified teaching vacancy are filled in the schools.
Elder Ubochi who congratulated the new Teachers for their successful recruitment, informed them that evidence of their working in the place where they are posted to, would be helpful in processing their names into the Parole system for their monthly salaries.
The Commissioner therefore appealed to community leaders and other members of the public to collaborate with the State government by accommodating the new Teachers in their areas, saying that such gestures would encourage the new Teachers and make the villages conducive for them.
He noted that the State government has a plan of reactivating residential facilities for school staff inside school compounds in order to address constant theft of school facilities by criminal elements but appealed to the community leaders to do accommodate the new Teachers while the State government perfects its plans in that regard.
” Let me use this opportunity to appeal to our community Taditional Tulers and President Generals of these communities, when these teachers are posted to your communities, make arrangements to accommodate them” Ubochi appealed.
Ubochi who explained that all the new 4,075 teachers signed agreement with the State government to go to any where they are sent during the recruitment processes, said that were made to understand that they could be posted to anywhere in the State where their services are needed.
Ubochi further said that various units of the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education has been activated to monitor absentiism, truancy and other professional misconduct.
He dismissed the allegations that some members of People Living With Disability were denied employment opportunities in the Teachers’ recruitment exercise, saying that some of them who merited the employment criteria where chosen.
On the recent order given by the Governor Alex Otti for the reinstatement of retired Teachers who are below sixty- five years in age, Elder Goodluck Ubochi urged the retired Teachers who fall under that category who are willing to return to classroom, to come forward for verification, reintegrated and deployment back to service.
He described Governor Alex Otti as a man who is very interested in the good welfare of Teachers, saying that the Governor wants Teachers to be comfortable while transferring knowledge to their pupils.
He concluded by urging the Teachers to see their duties in the areas they are posted to, as a service to the State, even as he urged Journalists to help in explaining the State government’s position on the matter.
