–As Imo Recruits 6,375 School Staff, Begins 54 Smart Schools
By Fred Iwuagwu, OWERRI
Housing Commissioner and former lawmaker, Rt. Hon. Bede Eke, has hailed Governor Hope Uzodimma’s education reforms, saying “Imo State has made a bold statement, and the message is clear: education is a priority.” He made the remark in a commentary titled “The Teacher’s Governor: How Uzodimma Is Powering Imo’s Classroom Revival.” The Governor inaugurated 6,030 newly recruited teachers and 345 non-teaching staff into the state civil service, a total of 6,375 new hands for public schools.
Eke said the scale of the exercise is unusual. “Such a large intake in one exercise is rare in Nigeria,” he wrote. “It shows a leader who understands that no society rises above the quality of its classrooms.” The appointment letters, he noted, were handed out in Owerri “to a room full of gratitude.”
He pointed to the Governor’s pledge on the status of teachers. Uzodimma said he wants Imo teachers to be “the most important civil servants in the state,” and assured the recruits that their salaries would remain a priority. According to Eke, “That is more than a slogan. It restores dignity to a noble profession that had been neglected for too long.” He added that “a teacher who is respected and paid on time teaches with passion.”
The commentary also highlighted the 54 smart schools project, with two schools in each of the state’s 27 local government areas. Ekeh described the spread as fair. “No area is forgotten, and no child is left behind,” he wrote, adding that “a pupil in a remote village will now enjoy the same opportunity as one in the city.” He said modern classrooms and digital tools are replacing “the tired, overcrowded ones many children endured.”
On how the recruitment was carried out, Eke said it “followed a needs assessment across all 27 LGAs, so the jobs are meeting real gaps.” The new teachers have been deployed to public schools within their native communities to close the rural-urban staffing gap. They also completed a six-week intensive training programme at the Ben Uwajimogu College of Education, Ihitte Uboma, and the Governor plans to provide them with digital teaching devices. “This is governance driven by planning, not by noise,” Eke said.
Looking ahead, the former parliamentarian said the gains would go beyond the classroom. “A well-taught generation grows into skilled workers, innovators and responsible citizens,” he wrote, adding that families “will regain confidence in public schools.” He described the Governor’s approach as “the mark of a leader with vision,” and concluded: “History is kind to leaders who build minds… The classroom is where the future is made, and under this Governor, Imo is building it well.”
