The Enugu Government, on Wednesday, inducted 2,299 newly recruited teachers, warning them to shun extortion, absenteeism and other unethical practices.
Prof. Hyginus Okibe, the Executive Chairman, Enugu State Universal Basic Education Board (ENSUBEB), issued the warning in Enugu during an orientation and induction ceremony organised for the teachers.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the teachers, known as ‘Smart School teachers’, were recruited under the Enugu Smart Green School initiative.
Okibe said the teachers were expected to demonstrate commitment, discipline and professionalism in the discharge of their duties.
He also warned them against lateness, indecent dressing and corruption, including admission racketeering, forgery and manipulation of students’ results.
“There is no room for such sharp practices in the Smart Green Schools initiative,” he said.
The ENSUBEB chairman said the State Government had introduced technology-driven mechanisms to monitor teachers’ attendance and classroom engagement.
“It will no longer be business as usual,” he said.
According to him, each teacher will be issued a Staff Personal Identifier Number linked to an electronic attendance register.
“When you go to work, you use your thumbprint to make an entry. The system will capture the exact time you came to work.
“The smart boards in the classrooms will also record when teachers logged in and left, providing details of their classroom engagement,” he said.
Okibe said the system would also capture lesson plans, objectives, content and teaching activities, requiring teachers to be present both in school and classrooms.
“The essence of your recruitment is not to go to school. Many people can go to school.
“The major essence is to enable you to go to class and teach.
“Also, it is not just about going to class and teaching anything but going to class and teaching what the students will understand and what aligns with the national curriculum,” Okibe said.
He also warned against sexual harassment of students and colleagues, saying that teachers must maintain professional boundaries.
Gov. Peter Mbah said the State Government had made significant investments in the education sector through the establishment of the Smart Green Schools programme.
The governor, represented by the Commissioner for Labour and Productivity, Dr Felix Nnamani, said the schools were designed to promote experiential and practical learning.
“The responsibility for driving the state’s education revolution now rested largely on the teachers,” he said.
He assured the teachers that the government would provide training and retraining, while ensuring payment of their entitlements and remuneration.
He urged the teachers to discipline themselves and comply with the rules governing the teaching profession.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ndubueze Mba, said the teachers were joining a new generation of educators responsible for transforming the state’s education system.
Mba, represented by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Mrs Stella Ogbodo, said the recruitment followed a merit-based assessment process.
He said the process began with over 23,000 candidates in 2020, and at least 4,200 eventually meeting the required standard.
“No fewer than 2,299 successful candidates are now entering service in the Enugu Smart Green Schools,” he said.
The commissioner urged the teachers to embrace continuous learning, describing them as critical to implementing the state’s education transformation framework.
He said the framework focuses on human capital development, knowledge, skills, values, competence, character, and creativity. (NAN)
