Francis Sardauna in Katsina
The Katsina State Governor, Dikko Umaru Radda, has presented appointment letters to 2,158 teachers recruited by his administration to teach in both primary and secondary schools across the 34 local government areas of the state.
Presenting the offers to the teachers on Friday at the TESS Conference Hall, the governor said the recruitment of the teachers was part of his administration’s efforts to revolutionize and build the state’s education sector.
Radda said the recruitment of the 2,158 teachers followed a rigorous, transparent and merit-based process designed to ensure that qualified teachers are employed and deployed to schools where they are most needed.
He said the state government had in 2023 recruited and deployed 7,323 teachers to schools across the state to strengthen teaching and learning in order to ensure that every child has access to basic and secondary education.
He added that the state government under his leadership had also employed and deployed 1,020 primary health workers across the 34 local government areas of the state in addition to 804 personnel deployed to secondary healthcare facilities across the state.
“Today’s exercise therefore represents another decisive step towards strengthening human capital development and ensuring that every child in Katsina State has access to quality education delivered by qualified and motivated teachers,” he said.
Describing teachers as the most critical drivers of educational excellence, Radda said his administration has established Teachers Development and Training Centre to enhance their capacity for quality and efficient service delivery.
The governor explained that his administration had prioritized education because it remains the most powerful tool for societal transformation and sustainable development.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Yusuf Suleiman Jibia, disclosed that 64,598 applicants applied for the exercise, out of which 8,889 candidates were shortlisted after screening.
He said 3,683 passed the Computer-Based Test conducted by the recruitment committee and progressed to the oral interview stage before the final selection of the 2,158 teachers.
“The recruitment was entirely merit-based. No public office holder interfered in the process, while deployment was based on the staffing requirements of schools and subject specialisation,” the commissioner said.
He added that over 9,000 teachers have been recruited by the Radda administration since 2023, describing it as the highest teacher recruitment exercise since the creation of Katsina State.
In his remarks, the Executive Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Dr. Kabir Magaji, commended Governor Radda for prioritising education through “massive investments in teacher recruitment, school infrastructure, capacity building and learning materials.”
He added that the recruitment of 2,158 “competent teachers” would improve teacher-pupil ratios, enhance classroom instruction and contribute significantly to raising educational standards in the state.
