The Oyo State Government has issued a fresh directive mandating the immediate return of about 202 primary school teachers to their respective Local Government Universal Basic Education Authorities (LGUBEAs), following their failure to secure absorption into the Post-Primary Schools Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM).
Chairman of the state Universal Basic Education Board, Nureni Adeniran, gave the order on Friday during a meeting with Education Secretaries from the 33 Local Government UBEAs in Ibadan, the state capital.
It will be recalled that the Oyo State Government absorbed about 2,000 primary school teachers, seconded to TESCOM by the previous administration in October 2022.
However, about 202 teachers who were not integrated into the post-primary school system have refused to report back to their LGUBEAs or OYOSUBEB, despite being paid their salaries regularly by the present administration.
Adeniran said the teachers, who are currently floating, risk having their salaries withheld if they do not comply.
He noted that while some of them did not meet the requirements for the transfer, others were affected by no vacancy at TESCOM.
The chairman explained that the teachers’ refusal to report to their respective LGUBEAs means their appointments are not regularised.
“All teachers not integrated into TESCOM who are refusing to return to OYOSUBEB must report to their LGUBEAs with immediate effect,” he warned.
Adeniran frowned upon the salaries being paid, which are not commensurate with the number of teachers on the Board’s voucher, due to their refusal to report to classrooms.
He added that Governor Seyi Makinde had clearly stated in 2022 that the non-absorbed teachers should return to OYOSUBEB.
“Violating this order of the governor is tantamount to gross misconduct,” he said.
The chairman, therefore, ordered the immediate compilation of names, LGUBEAs, of the affected 202 teachers.i
Additionally, Adeniran announced that the board, in collaboration with the Universal Basic Education Commission, has begun the School-Based Management Committee-School Improvement Programme (SBMC-SIP).
He said the SBMC-SIP encourages community participation and ownership of schools through the disbursement of funds directly to SBMCs for the improvement of infrastructure, learning materials, and equipment in schools.
“The overall import is to increase access to education, qualitative education, and achieve equity in the provision of Basic Education in Nigeria,” he said.
He appealed to the Education Secretaries to monitor the ongoing project in their various LGUBEAs.
