Ayobami Agboola 
The Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), Osun State branch, has called on Governor Ademola Adeleke to issue the long-overdue appointment letters to qualified applicants who participated in the Teachers’ recruitment exercise, which has been pending for over 13 months.
In a letter addressed to the Governor through the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education and made available to New Telegraph, the rights group expressed concern that the prolonged delay was having a negative impact on the State’s education system.
The letter reads in part: “We write to address the long-overdue allocation of appointment letters to qualified applicants who participated in the recent teachers’ recruitment exercise conducted by the Osun State Government under your administration.
“Your Excellency, on February 16, 2024, you approved the immediate recruitment of 5,000 teachers for both primary and secondary schools, and 250 education officers in Osun State.
“The recruitment process involved the sale of application forms at ₦2,000 each, which attracted 32,000 applicants. Of these, 29,000 accessed the internet for the examination, and 27,000 eventually sat for the test”
The CDHR noted that the application process lasted from February 16 to February 29, 2024, reflecting the alarming rate of unemployment in the State.
The computer-based examination was held on March 27 and 28, 2024, with results released on April 17, followed by interviews for shortlisted candidates between September 9 and 13, 2024.
“Despite this clear timeline, the process has been stalled for approximately 13 months, with no communication regarding the issuance of appointment letters to successful candidates,” the group lamented.
The CDHR added that the delay has led to unfilled vacancies in public schools, overburdening existing staff and undermining the quality of education in the state.
“We also wish to draw your attention to the deployment of Imole Youth Corps members in place of professionally trained teachers.
“These individuals are mostly untrained and may further damage the quality of education in our schools. This aberration should be stopped immediately, sir.”
The group urged the state government to act swiftly by issuing appointment letters to all qualified applicants, warning that any further delay could worsen the crisis in public education.
“We, therefore, urge you to compel the Ministry of Education to release the appointment letters within the next five days to prevent further deterioration of the education system in the State,” the letter read.
