Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo, on Thursday, inaugurated 6,030 newly recruited teachers and 345 non-teaching staff into the state civil service.

In a speech at the ceremony in Owerri, Mr Uzodimma described the inauguration as a “major step towards revitalising the education sector”.

He said the recruitment was designed to address the acute shortage of teachers and restore dignity to the teaching profession in the state.

He said, “I want to make Imo teachers the most important civil servants in the state,” and promised that their salary payments would be a top priority for the government.

The governor disclosed that the new teachers had been deployed to public schools within their native communities to ensure equitable distribution of personnel and bridge the rural-urban staffing gap.

He announced plans to distribute digital teaching devices to the teachers, while charging them to protect school infrastructure, maintain hygienic learning environments and foster close ties with parents and community leaders.

Earlier, in a remark, the commissioner for primary and secondary education, Bernard Ikegwuoha, described the mass recruitment as a “historic milestone”, stemming from a comprehensive needs assessment across all the 27 LGAs.

Mr Ikegwuoha said the initiative was built on the broader educational reforms in the state, including the recovery and renaming of Kingsley Ozumba Mbadiwe University, as well as the establishment of new tertiary institutions.

Responding on behalf of the new teachers, Philomena Maduako thanked the governor for creating the job opportunity and pledged their commitment to raising educational standards, in line with the state’s policies.

The event featured the symbolic presentation of computer tablets to selected teachers, while others were directed to receive theirs after their biometric enrolment. 

(NAN)