ASUBEB Reviews Teachers’ Postings, Assures Transport Aid for Hard-to-Reach Areas

Lady Eziihe Lydia Onuoha, the Chairman of the Abia State Universal Basic Education Board (ASUBEB), announced that a review process is underway to ensure fairness, equity, and transparency in the postings of the newly recruited teachers in the state. She assured that logistical support has been arranged by Governor Dr. Alex Chioma Otti OFR to assist with the transportation of teachers assigned to hard-to-reach areas.

She said this during a meeting with stakeholders involved in the teacher posting process, including the Special Adviser to Governor Dr Alex Otti on Basic and Secondary Education, Sir Kenechukwu Nwosu, SA to the Governor on Media Ferdinand Ekeoma, NUT Chairman Friday Mmadu represented by Kalu Awa Kalu, NASU Chairman Isdore Ibebuike, Dean of Education Secretaries Chioma Nwohu, Board Secretary Dr Mrs Uzomaka Amah Mba, Honourable Harrison Onwudike, Education Secretaries of the 17 LGAs, the Mayors represented, she said that the purpose of the meeting was to work together, brainstorm how they can make better the postings of the 2025 newly recruited teachers.

“We have journeyed far from the application stage. We received over 40,000 applications, shortlisted 10,000, and ultimately employed 5,300 teachers. Currently, we are working to ensure that applicants are posted to schools close to their residences, minimising transportation costs and other expenses.

“We expect them to resume at their designated locations by September 1. While the process is a bit challenging due to the lack of applicants in some Local Government Areas (LGAs), we are also mindful that 80% of the applicants are married women, which complicates postings far from their families. A committee has been established to oversee the postings, ensuring fairness and timeliness. We are confident the outcome will be positive, meeting the objective of employing 5,300 teachers.”

Mrs. Onuoha stated that the committee tasked with establishing seamless postings has one week to deliver results, as the ministry has only three weeks before the school year begins.

She reassured that the process is ongoing and encouraged anyone who feels overlooked due to an error to contact the help lines provided.

The Chairman stressed that Governor Otti has made adequate provisions for teachers who will be posted to hard-to-reach areas. In some instances, the Board could not find enough recruits, leading to necessary cross-posting.

However, the review committee aims to minimise such occurrences and ensure that teachers are assigned to schools closest to their homes.

“I urge newly recruited and existing teachers to remain patient as we work to provide for their transport expenses, especially those assigned to hard-to-reach areas. We have a database of these areas and the teachers currently in them, and we will also include new recruits.”

Sir Kenechukwu Nwosu applauded the ministry for its prompt response, aligning with the vision of the new Abia administration. He highlighted the Governor’s commitment to addressing public concerns, underscoring the importance of maintaining a secure and motivating work environment. He encouraged a thorough review of the process to identify and resolve issues related to distance in postings, noting that relocating someone from Aba to Umunneochi or Arochukwu to Aba could be counterproductive.

Mr. Ferdinand Ekeoma, also present at the meeting, expressed concern regarding unexpected posting outcomes and emphasised the necessity for fairness. “Someone from Umunneochi being posted to Ihechiowa, or another from Obingwa assigned to Ohafia, shouldn’t occur. Collaboration is essential to ensure the right decisions are made. Every LGA has an education secretary familiar with local geography, which will aid in effective postings. We must execute this well.”

Dr. Mrs. Uzomaka Amah Mba, the Board Secretary and Chairman of the Teachers Recruitment Committee, shared that the team was tasked with recruiting 5,000 teachers across the state, a task she described as “tedious but successfully executed.”

“We were given the responsibility of recruiting teachers. It was challenging, but we accomplished it. We maintained transparency throughout the process. Although we may have stepped on some toes, no one can claim that they paid any money for their recruitment,” the coordinator affirmed.

Ultimately, 5,300 successful candidates were recruited, with 3,300 assigned to the Abia State Universal Basic Education Board (ASUBEB) and 2,000 to the State Education Management Board (SEMB).

“We forwarded the full list to SEMB. We had GPS systems in place to monitor deployment, but at one point, it became difficult to track. We began hearing reports that money was being solicited to post recruits to preferred schools, so we had to retract what we had previously given them,” the Board Secretary explained.

Out of the total 5,300 recruits, 2,388 teachers with the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) were posted to primary schools under ASUBEB. These teachers were distributed across the state based on need and geographic considerations. Our goal was to adhere to the UNICEF standard of 30 pupils per teacher.

Distribution by Local Government (LG) for SEMB: Umuahia North: 501, Osisioma: 313, Aba North: 314, Aba South: 209, Umuahia South: 189, Obingwa: 95, Ukwa West: 77, Isiala Ngwa South: 59, Isiukwuato: 50, Ohafia: 48, Ikwuano: 46, Others from other states: 41, Umunneochi: 36, Isiala Ngwa North: 35, Arochukwu: 27, Bende: 27, Ugwunabo: 10 and Ukwa East: 9.

Distribution by Local Government for ASUBEB (JSS): Umuahia North: 230, Osisioma: 159, Aba North: 136, Aba South: 99, Umuahia South: 87, Obingwa: 50, Ukwa West: 32, Ohafia: 23, Isiala Ngwa South: 19, Others from other states: 17, Isiukwuato: 16, Umunneochi: 16, Ikwuano: 15, Isiala Ngwa North: 11, Ugwunabo: 7, Ukwa East: 7, Bende: 6, Arochukwu: 6.

Distribution by Local Government for ASUBEB (Primary): Aba North: 247, Aba South: 229, Arochukwu: 90, Bende: 50, Ikwuano: 40, Isiala Ngwa North: 70, Isiala Ngwa South: 79, Isiukwuato: 32, Obingwa: 208, Ohafia: 155, Osisioma Ngwa: 380, Ugwunabo: 47, Umunneochi: 94, Umuahia South: 176, Umuahia North: 333, Ukwa East: 26, Ukwa West: 101, Others from other states: 121.

Isdore Ibebuike, the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) Chairman, emphasised the need to consider non-teaching staff, stating that continuing with the same approach could lead to issues. He urged the state government to implement measures to address these concerns and engage stakeholders.

Dr. Charles, the ES representative of Isiala Ngwa, expressed concerns about the distribution ratio of the newly recruited teachers, urging that teachers should not be concentrated in one local government area more than others.

The ASUBEB Chairman reiterated that no one paid any money for the recruitment process, emphasising that it would be unacceptable to entertain or tolerate any attempts at bribery during postings. “If we find that happening, that local government will not receive teachers,” she stated. She highlighted instances where applicants were in dire financial situations, with some having been out of work for 10-15 years.

Additionally, she shared that the governor has approved the recruitment of security personnel for schools, addressing concerns regarding school safety. She mentioned that the ministry would collaborate with local government chairpersons to facilitate this process, with the security personnel being drawn from the communities where the schools are located.

Also present were the Director of Administration, Lady Esther Nwokocha, Dr Okey Ihekaibeya, the PRO, and other members of the Board.