Over 300 teachers under the EdoStar have protested over the alleged failure of the immediate past government led by Governor Godwin Obaseki to regularise their appointments.
DAILY POST reports that the protesting teachers who said they were in the employment of the state for several years noted that they were not shortlisted at the last teachers recruitment exercise.
The recruitment exercise was carried out before the completion of Godwin Obaseki’s tenure as governor of the state on November 12, 2024.
DAILY POST recalls that the All Progressives Congress, APC, transition committee had on Monday, November 11, 2024 during the presentation of its report to the then governor-elect, Senator Monday Okpebholo, recommended that he should demand a proper head count of teachers in the state, as the outgone government couldn’t account for the number of teachers in the state.
The transition committee also recommended the cancellation of all employment carried out in the recent past by Governor Obaseki’s administration.
It further recommended a comprehensive review of the World Bank-funded EdoBest program and the institution of a probe to uncover its rather opaque operations.
The protesting EdoStar teachers who faulted the recruitment exercise carried out by Governor Obaseki described it as “compromised.”
The teachers in their large numbers from across the 18 local government areas of the state, congratulated the newly sworn-in governor of the State, Monday Okpebholo, on his victory at the last September 21,2024 governorship election.
While also paying solidarity to the new government, they urged the governor to look into their case,as many of them are more qualified than those recruited and have been working in public schools for the past 10 years.
Speaking to newsmen, one of the teachers, Oseh Joy, who said as an EdoStar teacher, she participated in the recruitment exercise, alleged that the recruitment exercise was highly compromised.
Joy added that those that have highly placed people were shortlisted.
According to her: “The recruitment exercise was compromised. We are all here to plead with our new governor to look into our case.
“We have been working diligently, coming to school, many of us were disqualified over issues that we don’t understand. Some, they said, Key Performance Indicators (KPI), some they say Computer-Based Test (CBT).
“But the fact is that they replaced a lot of us with freshers that did not do the training, nor have the idea. They just brought people from different places to replace many of us that don’t have anybody to help them.
“Someone told me that she did not do the Computer Based Test, but she was shortlisted.”
Also speaking, Efosa Anne Destiny said during the three years of the EdoStar programme,the state government promised that they are going to make their appointment permanent, but after the programme, freshers were recruited as permanent staff while those that have been working were not employed.
Destiny claimed they were disqualified by age, as the minimum age limit was pegged at 35 years.
Destiny, who alleged that others who passed the computer-based assessment were not employed, pleaded with Governor Monday Okpebholo to listen to their cries.
“We are pleading, sir. I don’t want to go back home. I don’t want to go back looking for a job. Some of us have been teaching for the past 10 years,others for the past 15 years in public schools.
“Many of us did voluntary teaching, but when it comes to regularising our appointments to permanent staff we were asked to go home,” she stated.
On his part, Ejedenawe Joseph, added: “Many of us have been trained. Those without education background went back to school to do a Diploma in Education. There are over 300 teachers that were not given appointment letters by the Edo State government.
“They are saying age, others they say CB assessment. Meanwhile, many here scored above 70/100 , and we have been trained by the Edo State Government. We don’t know the criteria for their assessment. We want the governor to look into our case.”
DAILY POST recalls that the immediate past administration of Godwin Obaseki hired 5,500 teachers some months ago.
The Executive Chairman of Edo SUBEB, Ozavize Salami, during a press briefing in August 2024 said the recruitment was to fill teachers gaps and boost teaching and learning in schools.
Over 300 EdoStar teachers protest non-regularisation of appointments by Obaseki administration