By Mmaduabuchi Onwumelu
Anambra State Government last Thursday commenced the conduct of Computer-Based Tests for applicants for the 2023 teachers’ recruitment exercise.
In this second batch of teachers’ recruitment going on under the present administration of Governor Chukwuma Soludo, 3,000 teachers are targeted for Post Primary School Service Commission, PPSSC and the State Universal Basic Education Board, ASUBEB.
The recruitment is driven by the Commission and the Board with technical support from the State Information and Communication Technology, ICT Agency.
It was gathered that there was a seamless exercise which started as early as 7am. The applicants were verified by the ICT Agency technical staff with their national identity cards and examination slip before they were allowed into the CBT hall for the examination which lasted for about only 30 minutes.
Speaking at the Staff Development Centre, Awka, venue for the ASUBEB examination, the ASUBEB Chairman, Dr. Vera Nkiru Nwadinobi disclosed that over 19,500 applications were received on the application portal, with the applicants grouped in batches for the examination.
According to her, the CBT examination is part of the governor’s strategies to train digital teachers who will drive the vision of digital schools in the state.
“There is no way we can have smart schools when the teachers are not ICT compliant, hence the need to conduct the computer-based tests,” she said.
Dr. Nwadinobi made it clear that the latest recruitment exercise is to fill the shortfall in the number of teachers in hard-to-reach communities of the state, reminding the applicants that the Board will not entertain any application for transfers when recruited.
She assured that the partnership with the State ICT Agency is critical to ensure that the process is seamless and failproof.
Also speaking, the Chairman of Post Primary School Service Commission, PPSSC, Prof. Nkechi Ikediugwu observed that the CBT process will help address the numerous bottlenecks associated with paper examinations for teachers’ recruitment.
For his part, the MD/CEO of the State ICT Agency, Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata, said his agency is providing technical support for the process as the government agency with the mandate to deliver the ‘Everything Technology and Technology Everywhere’ vision of Mr. Governor.
“What we are looking at is a situation where we provide the milieu for the full exploration of technology across the board and there can be no end to the benefits for Anambra people. That’s Mr. Governor’s vision and that’s what we are driving,” he said.
Some of the applicants, Okonkwo Emmanuella and Michael Maduako, who spoke commended the initiative of the CBT exams, saying it has done away with so many bottlenecks usually characteristic of such exercises.
It would be recalled that Governor Soludo had earlier last year recruited 5,000 teachers in specific areas of need.
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