Why Abia will reabsorb 5,853 sacked teachers

Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia says plans are underway to reabsorb the sacked 5,853 teachers allegedly employed illegally into the state civil service.

He made this known during a meeting with the sacked teachers from Abia Central Senatorial zone at the International Conference Centre (ICC), Umuahia.

The governor, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Dr Anthony Agbazuere, said the decision to reintegrate the sacked teachers was informed by the need to fill the teaching vacancies existing in some schools.

“The state government gave a waiver for the employment of 187 teachers only but regrettably, the Secondary Education Management Board (SEMB) employed 5,853.

“The state government is not pleased with the recent employment racketeering at the SEMB. If there is need for the government to employ up to 7,000 teachers, it is pertinent to do it properly.

“We will start with absorbing one-third of the 5,853 teachers into the system, then gradually absorb others. Also there is the possibility of moving some people to other sectors,” he stated.

He stressed the need for government officials to work within the scope of their duties and not embarrass the government by their unguided actions.

Ikpeazu said the reintegration exercise would be done systematically and across all the LGAs in line with the employment guidelines of the Federal Character Commission.

He said the government was not unmindful of their plight and directed head teachers of various schools to write to the Ministry of Education and indicate areas of need in their schools.

In his remarks, Dr Kanelechi Nwangwa, Commissioner for Education, urged school heads to inform the ministry of their needs in terms of teachers. (NAN)