Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji, has reiterated the commitment of his administration to revitalising the education sector through improved infrastructure and instructional materials, regular recruitment of qualified personnel and prompt payment of salaries.
Oyebanji stated this on Wednesday while declaring open a three-day induction training for newly recruited teaching and non-teaching staff absorbed into the state public service by the Ekiti State Teaching Service Commission.
The Governor, who was represented by the Commissioner for Education, Dr Olabimpe Aderiye, stressed the importance of teachers in nation building, assuring that his administration would continue to invest in policies and programmes aimed at promoting quality education and national development.
He listed some of the administration’s interventions in the sector to include renovation and upgrading of school infrastructure, sponsorship of education-related competitions, promotion of workers as and when due, provision of motor vehicle and housing loans, as well as scholarships and bursaries for students.
Oyebanji urged the newly recruited personnel to see themselves as role models, noting that their conduct and lifestyles could influence their students either positively or negatively.
He charged them to complement government efforts by rededicating themselves to excellence, innovation and commitment to duty, while ensuring that their conduct reflected honesty, patriotism and genuine passion for the teaching profession.
In her goodwill message, Aderiye, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr Bayode Ogunmola, commended the governor for his commitment to the education sector.
She said the recruitment had helped to fill existing vacancies and had taken about 1,800 unemployed youths off the labour market.
Aderiye congratulated the participants on their success in the competitive and rigorous recruitment exercise and urged them to continually improve their knowledge and embrace digital technology in teaching and learning.
Also speaking, the State Head of Service, Dr Folakemi Olomojobi, described teaching as a noble profession that should not be regarded as an alternative career.
She urged the new personnel to continually seek knowledge and professional development that would distinguish them among their peers.
Other dignitaries who delivered goodwill messages included the Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, Comrade Lawrence Egbeyemi, who was represented by the State Public Relations Officer, Mr Joseph Adeola; President of the Non-Academic Staff Union, Comrade Toyin Fagbamila; and State President of the All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS), Mr Akinbode Oke.
In her keynote address, the Chairman of the Teaching Service Commission, Mrs Rhoda Ojo, charged the staff to go beyond curriculum delivery and become beacons of hope to their students and society.
Ojo urged them to demonstrate absolute dedication to duty, regularity, punctuality and a high level of integrity.
She said the commission had zero tolerance for indolence, truancy, negligence, misconduct and any act capable of bringing the profession, commission or state government into disrepute.
Welcoming participants to the programme, the Permanent Secretary of the Teaching Service Commission, Mr Michael Boluwade, described teaching as a profession that moulds lives, shapes destinies and nurtures the intellectual, moral and social capacities of younger generations.
He noted that the knowledge, attitudes, values and character teachers impart to their students would ultimately shape their future contributions to national development.
Boluwade urged the participants to make judicious use of the knowledge acquired during the training and apply it effectively in their new assignments.
During a technical session titled: “Effective and Efficient Teaching and Learning: Panacea for Qualitative Education in Public Secondary Schools,” participants were taken through the rudiments and ethics of public service to enable them to distinguish themselves in their new roles.
Among dignitaries present at the induction programme were the Commissioner for Information, Rt. Hon. Taiwo Olatunbosun; Commissioners I, II and III in the Teaching Service Commission, Elder Lawrence Falana, Mrs Titilayo Falusi and Hon. Oladimeji Ayegboka, respectively; Permanent Secretary, Office of Establishment and Service Matters, Mrs Janet Ajibola; and Director, Information Services, Ministry of Information, Mr Tope Babalola, among others.