Edo State Governor, Sen. Monday Okpebholo, has revealed plans to employ an additional 3,000 teachers to enhance teaching capacity and improve learning outcomes across public schools in the state. This announcement was made during a ceremony where the governor was honored by the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT).
Regularization of Contract Teachers and New Recruitment Drive
The plan to recruit new teachers follows the recent formalization of employment for 5,000 contract teachers who had previously been receiving a monthly stipend of ₦65,000 under the previous administration. Governor Okpebholo emphasized his commitment to valuing educators, noting that the new recruitment drive aims to ensure “no school lacks qualified teachers and that every child receives quality education in a conducive learning environment.”
“We are building and renovating schools across Edo, and as infrastructure improves, so must manpower,” the governor stated. He also asserted that his administration has ended the era of overcrowded and combined classes that once characterized Edo’s public schools, with the reforms already restoring public confidence in the education system.
Recognition from Education and Labor Unions
In appreciation of his “kind gesture” in regularizing the employment of the 5,000 teachers, the Edo State Chapter of the NUT conferred a Lifetime Achievement Award on Governor Okpebholo.
NUT State Chairman, Bernard Ajobiewe, who presented the award alongside the Acting Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Edo State chapter, Comrade Bernard Egwahide, commended the governor. Ajobiewe noted that in less than a year, the story of teachers has “changed from frustration to fulfilment,” as the governor has “not only restored dignity to the teaching profession but has rekindled hope in public education.”
Governor Okpebholo, in turn, reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to education and promised continued collaboration with labor unions, pledging to donate a bus to the NUT to facilitate its operations across the state’s 18 local government areas.
Broader Civil Service Reforms
The teacher recruitment is part of a larger series of historic reforms undertaken by Governor Okpebholo’s administration, championed by the Edo State Head of Service, Anthony Okungbowa.
Other notable reforms include:
Ending outsourced cleaning contracts and directly employing 1,000 cleaners as civil servants.
Recruiting close to 2,000 new staff across critical sectors like health, education, and agriculture.
These efforts bring the total number of new employees under the current administration to over 3,000 in less than a year, excluding the newly announced 3,000 teacher recruitment plan.
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