Osun

Teachers’ Recruitment: Osun Govt Keeps Mum On Appointment Letters Six Months After

ByYusuf Oketola

PublishedMarch 7, 2025

As Shortlisted Candidates Lament Prolonged Delay
Accused Adeleke Of Backdoor Employment

SUCCESSFUL applicants who sat for the 2024 Osun State Teacher’s Recruitment exercise have expressed their displeasure over the prolonged delay in issuing appointment letters to them by the state government six months after conclusion of interview.

Findings by OSUN DEFENDER indicated that the situation has left many of the successful applicants in a state of uncertainty, while many of them have gone on various social media platforms to express their displeasure.

Recall that the Osun government had between Monday, September 9 and Friday, September 13, 2024, conducted interview for the successful applicants seven months after the screening examination.

The applicants had sat for the screening examination in February 2024 and have since been waiting for the recruitment.

The dismissal of 1,500 teachers recruited by former governor Adegboyega Oyetola by his successor, Governor Ademola Adeleke in November 27, 2022, has continued to raise significant concerns.

According to some of the applicants, the prolonged delay undermines the credibility of Adeleke’s administration and casts doubt on its commitment to resolving the critical teacher shortage in Osun public schools.

One of the successful applicants who spoke with OSUN DEFENDER under the condition of anonymity said: “Over two years after the teachers recruited under the administration of Adegboyega Oyetola of the APC were dismissed, the PDP-led government under Governor Adeleke has yet to provide an effective replacement. As a result, public schools across the state are grappling with a dire lack of subject teachers, directly impacting the quality of education for students.

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“Governor Adeleke’s administration has further exacerbated concerns with its handling of teachers’ recruitment. On October 5, the Commissioner for Education, Hon. Dipo Eluwole, assured the public that the recruitment process would be completed within two weeks and appointment letters issued to successful candidates.

“However, as of December 21—more than two months later—this promise remains unfulfilled. Public school classrooms in Osun continue to struggle with inadequate staffing and dwindling resources.

“Adding to this issue are conflicting narratives from the Commissioner of Education and the Permanent Secretary, which highlight an alarming lack of coordination within the administration. The Permanent Secretary’s dismissal of rumours about teachers’ recruitment, coupled with the Commissioner’s unmet timelines, has sown confusion and fostered distrust among the public. This failure to deliver on critical issues such as recruitment reflects poorly on the administration’s organizational efficiency and accountability.

“The Adeleke administration has also failed to address the widening credibility gap. Even the limited number of teachers it has promised to recruit will not be sufficient to address the significant staffing deficiencies in public schools.”

Meanwhile, OSUN DEFENDER reliably gathered that there is a backdoor recruitment ongoing into the state civil service while some of them have been deployed to classrooms for teaching.

The medium also learnt that some of the ‘Imole Youth Corps’ Cadets have been deployed for teaching in Osun public schools.

But efforts to get the reactions of the state Commissioner for Education, Adedipo Eluwole and the Executive Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Hon. Ibukun Fadipe, proved abortive, as the duo did not respond to text message sent to their phones.

However, Eluwole promised to call back, saying he is in the middle of a meeting. But he did not return the call as at the time of filing this report.

Yusuf Oketola

Yusuf Oketola is a trained journalist with over five years of experience in the media industry. He has worked for both print and online medium. He is a thorough-bred professional with an eye of hindsight on issues bothering on social justice, purposeful leadership, and a society where the leaders charge and work for the prosperity of the people.