From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
Some teachers employed during the recent recruitment exercise of the Bayelsa State Government have protested their sack.
The recruitment exercise had been marred by controversy, forcing the governor, Senator Douye Diri, to issue a directive to the Commissioner for Education, Dr Gentle Emelah, to review the process.
The sacked teachers, armed with placards bearing inscriptions, such as ‘We shall fight for our rights,’ ‘This Injustice Must Stop,’ ‘Sack the Commissioner for Education, Not the Struggling Teachers’ and ‘Education Matters, Don’t Play Politics with our Careers,’ said the government should rescind its decision to cancel the recruitment exercise.
One of the sacked teachers, Mrs Lucia Sinizibe from Yenagoa lamented that she is a qualified teacher, who has been jobless since 2015. According to her, she was happy when she got the job but was devastated with the news of the cancellation.
“This process started when I was pregnant and now my child is seven months old. I was happy when I got the job. But, this news of cancellation is not good. We have worked for seven months and we deserve better treatment. Let the governor have mercy on us.”
The sacked teachers were unanimous in their call for reinstatement or compensation for the seven months they have worked.
The state government had cancelled the recruitment exercise following confirmation after review that the exercise was not in tandem with the government’s objectives.
The Commissioner for Information, Orientation and Strategy, Mrs Ebiuwou Koku Obiyai, in a statement, confirmed that the statement violated the Service Rule and breached the State Executive Council’s approval.
“The Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, has approved the cancellation of the teachers’ recruitment exercise recently conducted by the State Post Primary Schools Board.
“The cancellation is sequel to the violation of the Service Rule and disregard for the State Executive Council’s approval mandating the Board to employ 995 teachers based on verified needs assessment.
“Furthermore, the governor has also constituted a high-powered committee to coordinate a fresh recruitment exercise into the existing vacancies in the secondary schools system with the directive that candidates who participated in the botched recruitment exercise to the point of documentation are first considered provided that they fit into the needs assessment. In view of this, the committee working with relevant agencies would soon invite the candidates,’’ she said.
Mrs. Obiyai stated that the new committee set up to oversee the new recruitment exercise is headed by Deputy Chief of Staff, Government House, Mr Irorodamie Komonibo. Other members are Mrs. Obiyai, the Technical Adviser to the Governor on Treasury Accounts, Mr. Timipre Seipolu, Mr. Felix Asingbi, Permanent Secretary of general services, Dr. Hamilton Ekeke, Mr. Yela Joseph Alagoa, Permanent Secretary of Establishment, Training and Pension Bureau and Dr. Stella Ugolo, acting Chairman, Teacher Training and Certification Board.