The Oyo State Government says Governor Seyi Makinde has significantly expanded the workforce in the state’s secondary schools, increasing staff strength from 13,730 in 2019 to 26,436 within six years of his administration.

The Chairperson of the Post Primary Schools’ Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM), Mrs Olubukola Oladipo, made this known on Wednesday during the Omituntun 2.0 Inter-Ministerial Briefing held at the Governor’s Office in Ibadan.

According to a statement by the Special Adviser on Media to the Governor, Sulaimon Olanrewaju, the state recruited 10,500 teaching and non-teaching staff in the second term alone.

Oladipo said the commission created four additional educational zones to ease school administration, bringing the total number to ten: Ibadan Zones I to IV, Oyo, Ogbomoso, Kishi, Saki, Eruwa, and Iseyin. She noted that a Directorate of Pension and Post Services was also established to support TESCOM retirees.

“In 2024 and early 2025, 7,500 teaching and 3,000 non-teaching staff were recruited to improve student performance in both internal and external examinations,” Oladipo said. “This recruitment has also provided employment opportunities for youths, positively impacting the standard of living of those engaged.”

She added that TESCOM has conducted promotion exercises for eligible officers covering 2017 to 2024 and appointed ten Tutors-General/Permanent Secretaries, as well as a Permanent Secretary at the headquarters, to strengthen monitoring and supervision efforts.

Oladipo said the state government has consistently disbursed running grants to 695 public secondary schools and introduced e-payment systems to ease access to vehicle loans for staff across TESCOM’s ten zonal offices.

She also revealed that plans are underway to train the 695 school principals across the state on 21st-century school management practices.