Abia State Kicks Off Induction of 5,349 Newly Recruited Teachers to Boost Education Standards

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Governor Alex Otti has launched the induction and training of 5,349 newly recruited teachers across early childhood, primary, and secondary school levels, as part of sweeping reforms to reposition Abia as a hub of educational excellence.

The 12-day programme, which commenced on Monday in Umuahia and Aba, is being coordinated by the Education Reform Implementation Team with support from Lead Master Trainers trained under the AbiaFIRST initiative.

According to a statement signed by Kenechukwu Nwosu, Special Adviser to the Governor on Basic and Secondary Education, the exercise is designed to address global teacher shortages and enhance instructional quality in line with UNESCO’s Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 on quality education.

“The recruitment and training of teachers is a direct response to UNESCO’s projection that 44 million additional teachers are needed worldwide by 2030. Sub-Saharan Africa alone will require about 15 million. Abia is tackling this challenge proactively by employing, training, and retaining qualified teachers,” the statement read.

Nwosu disclosed that over 30,000 applications were received during the recruitment exercise earlier this year, but only 5,349 teachers were selected strictly on merit, making it the most competitive and transparent hiring process in the state’s education history.

The training modules cover bilingual instruction, classroom management, inquiry-based and project-based learning, technical education, and ICT, including robotics, artificial intelligence, and green energy integration.

Highlighting the governor’s focus on teacher welfare, Nwosu said:

“Since taking office, Governor Otti has ensured that salaries are paid promptly by the 28th of every month, a major turnaround from past irregularities.”

The initiative is part of the broader AbiaFIRST Education Programme, which provides free and compulsory education from Primary 1 to JSS 3, continuous professional development for teachers, and the upgrading of school facilities.

The state government said it expects the deployment of the newly trained teachers to significantly improve learning outcomes and education standards across all levels in Abia.