– Some fraudulent practices have marred the ongoing teacher’s recruitment exercise in Enugu state

– The exercise is said to have been conducted poorly

– Prospective teachers are said to have been asked to pay a bribe of about N150000 to get their jobs

The plan by Enugu state government to recruit 2000 teachers for primary schools has taken a different shape as allegations of fraud has rocked the exercise.


File photo: Teachers recruitment fraud stirs controversy in Enugu state

Controversies and allegations of fraud are currently rocking the on-going teachers’ recruitment exercise in the state, ranging from poor conduct of the exercise to demand for a bribe.

Daily Post reports that the recently commenced exercise which held simultaneously at the 17 local government areas of Enugu state, as well as the College of Immaculate Conception, CIC, Enugu, witnessed a turn-out of thousands of applicants.

Whereas those whose names were shortlisted had their examination at the designated council areas, the CIC played host to thousands of applicants who had their names missing in the list.

However, signs that all was not well with the exercise started showing early in the morning as the applicants at the CIC waited from 7 am till 4 pm before the process for the test commenced.

According to one of the applicants, “the failure started from step one. You can imagine a situation where the names of the shortlisted candidates were pasted just on the eve preceding the examination.‎ So, all the applicants staying out of Enugu were automatically shut out of the system.

“Secondly, on the day of the examination, there was no sign of preparation for the exercise at all. We reported at the CIC by 7 am but at the end of the day, we managed to start the test by 5:30 p.m.

“We had no seat, no where to place out paper; I just placed the answer script on my laps, even as there were thousands of us in a hall that shouldn’t take more than 200 persons.”

Another applicant alleged that some persons, who were acting as cronies for the board members of the Enugu State Universal Basic Education Board, ENSUBEB, were allegedly demanding for a bribe, ranging from N130,000 to N150,000 in order to get the job.

“They are asking us to pay N150,000 (one hundred and fifty thousand naira) for the teaching job. We now understand why from the onset the process was not made in such a way that the best would emerge.

“If they had organized the test very well, if the process had been credible, it would have been easy to pick the best out of the several applicants.

“But as it stands, they are just interested in the money they would make out of the system. You know how much they would get by collecting such money from thousands of applicants,” one of them further alleged.

Another applicant lamented that “one is not even so sure that he will get the job after coughing out such sum of money at this critical time.

“The Enugu State Governor, Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi should call the ENSUBEB to order. They should organize a credible test for us. We are ready to face credible process, not a make-belief exercise.”

However, the Chairman of the ENSUBEB, Mr. Ikeje Asogwa, vehemently denied the allegations.

He told newsmen that “There is nothing like that; nobody is collecting money. We have said it again and again that people should not fall victim.

“We have also been announcing it on radio for about two weeks now that nobody should give money to anybody.”

He had earlier in ‎a media report declared that the board would make use of the employment window to ensure that only best brains were employed so as to correct the long time anomaly in the primary school system.

He maintained that the board would not cut corners in the ongoing recruitment exercise, adding that the society and the state would be the greatest beneficiaries when best brains were employed to teach their pupils and children.

“It is high time we join hands to reposition the primary school system in the state and this has to start with the recruitment of sound teachers to teach in our primary schools.

“We cannot recruit poor brains in our schools and expect the best from our pupils and school children.

“Somebody who wants to teach should be sound enough to do that. If we support the best, it will pay off in the quality of our primary school children,” he explained.

https://www.naij.com/955726-controversy-job-vacancy-pay-n150000-to-get-teachers-job.html