President Bola Tinubu has approved the recruitment of 3,252 verified Parent-Teacher Association teachers into the Federal Civil Service, bringing relief to educators who have spent years working in Federal Unity Colleges without permanent government appointments.
The approval, announced by the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, on Thursday, is aimed at tackling the shortage of teachers in Federal Unity Colleges and strengthening the quality of education in the institutions.
Alausa made the disclosure in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Ikharo Attah.
The minister said priority would be given to verified PTA teachers, many of whom have served in Federal Unity Colleges and Federal Technical Colleges for between 10 and almost 25 years.
For the affected teachers, the approval represents a major breakthrough after years of uncertainty and repeated appeals for their absorption into the mainstream public service.
Alausa said the teachers had played a crucial role in keeping federal schools running despite persistent staffing shortages.
He said an inter-ministerial committee had conducted a comprehensive verification exercise to identify eligible PTA teachers across the Federal Unity Colleges.
The exercise verified 3,252 teachers comprising Education Officers, Assistant Education Officers and Technical Instructors.
The minister said their recruitment would proceed after the completion of all statutory requirements and other processes required under public service regulations.
Alausa described the presidential approval as a major intervention under the Tinubu administration, saying it would strengthen the federal teaching workforce while recognising the commitment of teachers who had served for years without permanent appointments.
He said absorbing the experienced teachers would improve the teacher-student ratio, preserve institutional knowledge and strengthen classroom instruction in the Federal Unity Colleges.
The minister also said the move formed part of the Federal Government’s broader plan to reposition the colleges as centres of academic excellence under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
For years, PTA teachers have been used to plug staffing gaps in Federal Unity Colleges, with their salaries largely funded by Parent-Teacher Associations.
Many of them have spent a decade or more in the classrooms, performing virtually the same duties as permanent government teachers while remaining outside the federal public service.
The arrangement had also placed additional financial pressure on parents, while leaving thousands of qualified teachers facing prolonged job insecurity.
Successive administrations had received appeals from the affected teachers and education stakeholders for their appointments to be regularised.
Alausa said Tinubu’s approval would now provide a pathway for the verified teachers to become part of the mainstream federal workforce.
He thanked the President for approving the exercise, saying the decision demonstrated the administration’s commitment to placing education at the centre of national development.
The minister stressed that investing in teachers was critical to building a stronger education system, assuring the affected teachers that the regularisation process would be handled with transparency, fairness and due diligence.
He added that the Ministry of Education would work with relevant government agencies to complete the remaining statutory processes required before the final recruitment approval is issued.
The development is expected to provide a major boost to staffing levels in Federal Unity Colleges while giving thousands of long-serving PTA teachers the job security they have sought for years.
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