Abia Govt appeals to community leaders for assistance as new teachers reject postings to villages

Abia State government has appealed to traditional rulers and presidents general of rural communities in the state to arrange accommodations for newly employed teachers posted to schools in their villages.

The appeal is coming on the heels of reports that many of the 4,074 newly employed teachers in the state who were posted  to rural communities, rejected the postings.

Some of the teachers complained the postings would separate them from their families and cause accommodation challenges. They also complained about high transport costs to the rural schools.

But addressing journalists in Umuahia on Wednesday over the matter, Abia State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Goodluck Ubochi, appealed to the leaders of various communities in the state to accommodate the new teachers in their homes while the state government perfects arrangements for permanent solution to the challenges.

The commissioner also begged the new teachers not to reject the postings but to report to the schools before coming back to the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education to table their experiences to the government, for further actions.

He noted that there was need to provide adequate and quality teaching staff for pupils in the villages.

“Let me use this opportunity to appeal to our community traditional rulers and  presidents general of these communities – when these teachers are posted to your communities, make arrangements to accommodate them,” Ubochi appealed.

Ubochi who explained that all the new 4,075 teachers signed agreements with the state government to go anywhere they are sent, expressed surprise that they were rejecting postings to the hinterlands.

He noted that Governor Alex Otti approved a special payment package for teachers who agree to teach in the hinterlands, assuring that any teacher who agrees to work in the rural communities would receive additional payments.

Ubochi further said that various units of the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education have been activated to monitor absenteeism, truancy and other acts of professional misconduct.