Dr. Yusuf Sununu, the Minister of State for Education, announced that the Federal Government plans to recruit 3,500 teachers for Unity Colleges across the country. This initiative aims to enhance the quality of education in these institutions.
Speaking at a two-day national stakeholders’ forum on Senior Secondary Education, themed “Revitalising Senior Secondary Education in Nigeria for Global Competitiveness,” organized by the National Senior Secondary Education Commission, Sununu highlighted the government’s commitment to improving education standards.
He stated, “The ministry is working closely with the Office of the Head of Service, the Federal Civil Service Commission, and other relevant bodies to recruit 3,500 teaching staff for our Federal Government colleges nationwide. This recruitment is expected to significantly boost the quality of education.”
In addition to this, Sununu noted that the ministry has organized extensive training and retraining programs for school staff, with over 1,000 workers trained in educational technology through the research resource centre.
The government has also established more than 53 vocational skills acquisition centres to address the needs of today’s youth, aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. Furthermore, the ministry has received approval to build an additional 50 model schools across the country to further enhance teaching and learning.
Sununu emphasized, “Revitalising the Senior Secondary Education sector to meet global standards requires both strategic thinking and decisive actions to optimize the system. Today represents a crucial step in improving education quality for our young learners and, by extension, our nation.”
Dr. Iyela Ajayi, Executive Secretary of the National Senior Secondary Education Commission (NSSEC), called for stakeholders to actively engage with and implement the national policy on senior secondary education. House of Representatives Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, represented by Mark Usani, Chairman of the House Committee on Basic Education and Services, urged a comprehensive overhaul of the senior secondary curriculum to enhance global competitiveness, citing challenges such as a shortage of qualified teachers, inadequate funding, and insufficient infrastructure.