Assembly orders fresh exercise
By Raphael Ede
Enugu
The Enugu state House of Assembly, yesterday directed the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) to stop the ongoing recruitment of teachers in the state and conduct a fresh exercise following allegation of irregularities.
House members said the exercise was not conducted in a “fool-proof manner”, which resulted to complaints from various quarters that there were alleged shoddy deals during the exercise.
Not satisfied with the manner the teachers were selected for the recruitment exercise, the House summoned the chairman, ENSUBEB, Chief Ikeje Asogwa and the Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Rose Chiama, to appear before it and say why the exercise should not be cancelled following the outcry that preceded it.
Asogwa, however, narrated how the exercise went and the criteria used to the House, but the lawmakers resolved that the exercise should be cancelled and a fresh exercise be conducted.
The House reached the conclusion following the position of the ENSUBEB permanent secretary, Mrs. Chiama, who said knew nothing about the exercise and that even the Board was not in the know as they were not carried along.
Asogwa’s explanation that the exercise was well conducted as the governor and even some members of the House of Assembly were privy to the exercise fell on deaf ears as he gave the impression that the would-be teachers came short of expectation and woefully failed the interview exams given to them.
The House members were furious that the exercise, where 21,000 applied, the exercise took place just within a week to conclude, both exams and interview for those shortlisted.
In summarising the position of the House, Speaker, Hon. Edward Ubosi, said that the exercise should be nullified and a fresh one should take place after.
He said that the Board should liaise with relevant stakeholders like the Ministry of Education to conduct the future exercise.
The Speaker, equally, said that the rescheduled exercise should take place at various local government areas of the state instead of everybody converging at Enugu, the state capital.
It was gathered that 100 teachers each were supposed to be employed from each of the 17 local government areas of the state.
