As the ongoing recruitment of new teachers by the Osun State Government to fill vacant positions across public secondary and primary schools of the state continues, the Committee for Defense Of Human Rights (CDHR) ,Osun chapter, has called on Governor Ademola Adeleke to take decisive decision by implementing and enforcing the teacher’s elongation policy fully.
This according to the human right organization became necessary after it alleged that Osun State Government since twenty months ago has been wasting about forty one million, eight hundred and fifty thousand naira (₦41,850,000.00k) over its refusal to implement the policy.
The Osun CDHR Chairman, Comrade Olowu Emmanuel during a press conference held in Osogbo ,on Wednesday, recalled that the teacher’s elongation policy was a Federal Government policy under the leadership of former President Mohammed Buhari and was domesticated in Osun State by former governor Gboyega Oyetola on May 1 2022 at the celebration of the year 2022 workers day, which was effected through the office of the Head of Service of Osun state through a circular with reference number SMD.61/VOL.111/32 dated 18th of May 2022.
Stressing on the policy guidelines as contained in teacher’s elongation policy for teaching profession of the state, Osun CDHR Chairman said;
1. Eligibility
(a) The Officer must be within the education cadre recognized in the scheme of service.
(b) The Officer must be registered with the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN).
(c) The officer must be medically fit as ascertained by a qualified Medical Doctor.
(d) The officer must not be under any disciplinary procedure.
II. Procedure
(a) Eligible officer will be required to apply six months before he/she attains the age of 60 years or 35 years of service whichever is earlier.
(b) The application must be endorsed by the Head Teacher/Principal of the eligible officer and addressed to the Permanent Secretary, of the Ministry of Education.
(c) The application must be accompanied by the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria’s (TRCN) Certificate and License, and a certificate of medical fitness obtained from Government Hospitals.
(d) Eligible applicants will be screened by a Committee set up by the Office of the Head of Service.
(e) All successful applicants will be deployed to serve as teachers in schools.
(f) All unsuccessful applicants will be advised to retire
“We would like the press to note today that most of the beneficiaries are not medically fit and they do not return to the classroom as teachers which is against policy guideline C under Eligibility and e under procedure” Osun CDHR explained.
“As of today, the policy has subjected Osun State Government to wasting its economic resources, impeding the career progression of many, encouraging unemployment, wasting the intellectual capacity of Fresh graduates and impeding the student’s academic performance as a result of noncompliance with the policy guideline by the beneficiaries, which is as a result of the laxity of the Head of Service.
“Members of the press here present, the simple interpretation of the policy is that if you are to be a beneficiary of the policy you are to return to the classroom as a teacher and not as a principal, Vice principal, Headmaster or Head Mistress and you have to be medically fit
“It should be noted that on our intervention the Head of Service invited us to a meeting on the 30th of October 2023 which involved the Teacher’s unions on which the Head of Service setup a Seven Members committee, with a mandate to investigate and set a road map for the full implementation of the policy, only for the office of the Head of Service to inform us on Monday 19th of February 2024 via a call that the committee as not Summit ted any report or recommendation as regards the matter since the past One Hundred and fifteen days the committee was setup
“Members of the Press, we received the information sequel to our request to meet with the Head of Service on Wednesday 21st of February 2024, which is one of the reasons we have resolved to hold this press conference today
“We hereby call on all lovers of education to save education in the state by simply calling on the state governor Sen. Ademola Adeleke to be decisive on the policy by ensuring that the policy is strictly implemented while all traditional rulers in the state who has been assuring the beneficiaries and the Teachers Union’s that the policy will not be fully implemented should stop such act because student in there domains are also victims of poor academic performance.
“Furthermore, the recent decision by the state government to employ an additional Five thousand (5000) teachers raises eyebrows, as it appears to lack justification in the face of the reported shortage of all subject teachers in our public schools as reported by the Osun 2024 Education Summit which highlighted that 84.5% percentage schools in Osun State currently lack teachers for all subjects out of 2,179 responses gathered
“CDHR therefore, calls on the Osun State Government to reevaluate its approach to tackling the education crisis, ensuring that the policies on teacher elongation are fully implemented and the state to jack up the numbers of teachers it intends to employ to Eight Thousand (8000).
“The above request is based on the fact that the salary of one level Sixteen (16) and 14 officers can pay the salary of Four (4) fresh graduates
Expressing its dismay over the conducts of the Osun Head of Service, Commissioner of Education and Permanent Secretary of Education under the current administration in Osun, the human right group urged the officials to stop acting with laxity.
Comrade Olowu, however, threaten that the Osun CDHR will not hesitate to drag the Osun State Government to court of competent jurisdiction if it failed to enforce the full implementation of 65 Years Teacher’s Elongation Policy .
