Enugu begins screening as 26,000+ apply for 6,000 smart school jobs

The Enugu State government has begun assessments for the 26,000 candidates who applied for the 6,000 job slots in its smart schools.

The computer-based assessments, which commenced four days ago, are taking place simultaneously at the Enugu State College of Education Technical and the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Enugu.

At the venues of the ongoing exercise, The Guardian observed that many teachers struggled with basic computer operations. Although each candidate was allocated 45 minutes for the test, some spent the entire time without completing anything due to their inability to manipulate the system.

Addressing journalists at the IMT venue over the weekend, the Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ndubueze Mbah, said the exercise aligns with Governor Peter Mbah’s administration’s commitment to raising the bar of education in the state.

He disclosed that the ministry received applications from 26,330 candidates, adding, “We had to come up with a bias-free process of evaluating their subject area competency and basic digital literacy proficiency.”

“To do this, we introduced a computer-based test, running simultaneously at the Enugu State College of Education Technical and IMT, assessing a minimum of 6,000 candidates daily at the two centres,” he explained.

The Commissioner revealed that candidates are evaluated in four areas: the subject they intend to teach, the English language, and general mathematics.

“Baseline assessments from last year showed that two out of every four children in Enugu State schools lack basic numerical and literacy proficiency. We need teachers who possess these skills, so we are ensuring they are tested in mathematics and English,” Mbah explained.

Candidates are also tested on basic digital literacy.

He added,”Our smart schools feature high-tech environments including computers, smart boards, and digital hybrid libraries. We want teachers to have at least a basic knowledge of computers.”

Mbah further stated that all teachers in Enugu State were required to apply, and the process was open to anyone meeting the minimum qualifications.

“In every local government, we have applicants. This is a bias-free and standardised assessment aimed at recruiting teachers with the content knowledge to teach,” he said.

“Out of the 26,330 applicants, we will recruit 6,000 who will undergo six months of intensive training. After training, they will be posted to smart schools, under the supervision of ENSUBEB.

“Teachers who succeed will be registered in the teachers’ registry, and only those certified as smart teachers will be posted to smart schools. This is Phase 1, with another phase planned for January, as we aim to capture 12,000 teachers in total. We expect at least 10,000 to succeed.”

The Commissioner stressed that the state’s investment in smart schools aims to provide the same level of education as seen in developed countries. “We cannot invest N1 billion to build and equip smart schools and then put unqualified individuals in the classroom. It would be a disservice to our children and the people of Enugu.”

He assured that the recruitment process would remain transparent and free from political interference, stressing that the governor believes in excellence.

“This is a competency-based test, and teachers will be posted to their local government areas to tackle absenteeism,” he said.