Dr. Yusuf Sununu, Minister of State for Education, has announced that the Federal Government will recruit 3,500 teachers for Unity Colleges.
He said that the recruitment would improve the country’s educational standards.
Sununu spoke at the National Senior Secondary Education Commission’s two-day national stakeholders’ forum on Senior Secondary Education in Nigeria, titled “Revitalising Senior Secondary Education in Nigeria for Global Competitiveness.”
He said: “I want to assure you that the ministry is currently collaborating with the Office of the Head of Service, the Federal Civil Service Commission, and other relevant government organs to recruit 3,500 teaching staff in the Federal Ministry of Education.
“This will be for the utilisation of our various Federal Government colleges nationwide. It will go a long way in improving the quality of education.
“Not only that but also as part of our project, the ministry has organised extensive training and retraining of all workers in schools.”
Sununu also stated that the ministry had trained over 1,000 workers in the use of technology in education through its research resource centre.
The minister stated that the government had established more than 53 vocational skill acquisition centres to meet the needs of today’s youth.
He said this was consistent with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Sununu also announced that the ministry has received approval to develop an extra 50 model schools across the country to improve teaching and learning.
He said: “The ability to revitalise the Senior Secondary Education sub-sector to meet global demands is not merely a function of the mind but also a function of key actions that optimise the system.
“Today marks a significant step in our journey to enhance the quality of education for our young learners.
“Senior Secondary Education is a critical phase, shaping the future of our learners and, by extension, our nation.”
“This explains our efforts in ensuring that our education system is robust, dynamic, and capable of meeting global standard.”
Dr. Iyela Ajayi, Executive Secretary of the National Senior Secondary Education Commission (NSSEC), emphasised the need of stakeholders adopting the national senior secondary education policy and its implementation guidelines.
Tajudeen Abbas, Speaker of the House of Representatives, has advocated for a complete revamping of the senior secondary curriculum to ensure global competitiveness.
Abbas, who was represented by Mark Usani, Chairman of the House Committee on Basic Education and Services, outlined some of the challenges facing senior secondary education in the country.
He cited a lack of qualified teachers, insufficient funding, and poor infrastructure as major challenges.