The Bayelsa State Government has promised to soon shortlist qualified candidates for the ongoing teachers’ recruitment exercise across the state. The assurance was given on Monday by the Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, during a meeting with a delegation of aggrieved applicants at the Government House in Yenagoa.
Senator Ewhrudjakpo made it clear that the state is committed to employing candidates who successfully passed the verification panel’s screening process.
He emphasized that the government will also settle the salary arrears of successful applicants who had already begun teaching in state-owned secondary schools before the recruitment was suspended.
In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Mr Doubara Atasi, the Deputy Governor urged the applicants to remain calm and patient. He acknowledged the delay and explained that the recruitment process had to be reviewed due to serious irregularities discovered during a needs assessment of public schools in the state.
“The wheel of government grinds slowly but surely to achieve definite results. I understand your plight but you have to be patient,” Ewhrudjakpo said.
He pointed out that several issues plagued the initial recruitment phase, including cases of under-employment, the hiring of over-aged individuals, and nepotism.
According to him, the assessment had earlier determined that 997 teachers were needed across the eight local government areas. However, discrepancies in the recruitment led to some areas being overstaffed while others still lacked teachers.
“They ended up employing more people into areas where we already have more teachers,” the Deputy Governor noted. “Apart from that, some of the applicants were not qualified. For instance, somebody who wants to teach computer does not know what a keyboard or a CPU is.”
Ewhrudjakpo confirmed that the panel set up to investigate the process had completed its work, and once the Governor returns, the list of successful candidates will be approved.
“The Panel set up to interrogate the process discovered a lot of issues. So, the delay is as a result of cleaning up the process. But they have completed their job. So as soon as the Governor returns, we will get the approval and all of you who deserve employment will be employed,” he said.
He added that the provisional letters given to some applicants do not guarantee automatic employment. He explained that while some individuals may have the right qualifications, their attitude and commitment also matter.
“In any case, you should know that the letter they gave to you is provisional. So you are under probation. You may be qualified in terms of competence. But what about your character?” he asked.
On the planned protest by the applicants, Senator Ewhrudjakpo acknowledged their right to peaceful demonstration but cautioned against any action that could affect the rights of others.
“Protest is a fundamental constitutional right of every citizen, but there is always the need for protesters not to infringe on the rights of others in the course of exercising theirs,” he said.
He commended the affected applicants for their patriotism, noting that many of them continued to work in public schools despite the uncertainty surrounding their employment status. He assured them that their sacrifices would not be in vain.
“We assure you that all those who deserved to be employed will be employed. Those who worked for 6 or 3 or even two months before the exercise was suspended, your salary arrears will be paid, that is what I can assure you,” he added.
Earlier, Mr Teki Ayebaene, who led the delegation of affected applicants, said the planned protest was meant to peacefully highlight their frustrations. He explained that the group included about 800 applicants already serving in 413 government-owned secondary schools across the state.
He expressed disappointment over the prolonged delay in finalizing the recruitment process and urged the government to fast-track the necessary steps for full employment of all qualified candidates.
