WATCH THE VIDEO HERE Cross River State, in the South-South region of Nigeria, has announced it has a deficit of 20,000 teachers in its public school system. The Education Commissioner in Cross River, Sen. Stephen Odey announced this during a press briefing in Calabar, where he revealed that the administration under Sen. Bassey Otu has initiated extensive teacher hiring to fill this void. However, he mentioned that due to financial constraints, the recruitment process would occur in stages. Additionally, the commissioner highlighted various reforms underway to rejuvenate the educational landscape in the state. Odey expressed a strong commitment to overhauling the education sector comprehensively, aiming to set Cross River as a benchmark in the educational field among other states. He mentioned that a proposal was pending before the governor to start employing 6,000 teachers. Odey stated that teacher recruitment would focus on local areas, given the state’s limited funds for special rural allowances. Regarding WAEC fee payments, Odey refuted claims of a padded 16,301-name list, explaining that it was incomplete because late-submitting schools were omitted. The Commissioner further said part of the reform is to ensure uniformity in the school system in the state as well as go after illegal schools. On school uniformity, he explained that upon taking office, he found that schools throughout the state, including both public and private institutions, were following different academic calendars. He stated that they have largely managed to standardize these calendars and are continuing efforts to achieve complete compliance across the state.
Cross River state announces shortage of 20,000 teachers in public schools
