TheCable

The Kwara state government has lost over N400 million within two years as a result of the illegal recruitment of 516 employees by the State Teaching Service Commission.

This was revealed by the administrative panel of inquiry instituted by Abdulfatah Ahmed, the governor.

While presenting the report to the governor, Yusuf Daibu, chairman of the panel, said the commission illegally employed 965 employees instead of the 449 which the governor approved in 2014.

Daibu said the selection and recruitment were haphazardly done, adding that there were no records of shortlisted candidates or record of an interview panel that should have formed the basis of the final list of those recruited.

The panel recommended, among other things, that the recruitment be reviewed and limited to the 449 by considering “the genuine need of the Teaching Service Commission for additional hands especially in Mathematics, the Core Sciences and English Language”.

On how to prevent future occurrence, the panel recommended that the enabling law establishing the commission should be reviewed to take care of some structural defects and that the oversight function of the state ministry of education and human capital development on the commission should be enforced.

It also recommended that an effective database should be established for monitoring of entries and exits from the employment of Kwara State Teaching Service Commission.

Ahmed said the establishment of the panel was part of his administration’s efforts in boosting the quality of education in the state, through judicious use of resources while ensuring that the right quality manpower is recruited.

“We will continue to ensure that due process is followed in the recruitment of teachers in Teaching Service Commission and other state-owned educational institutions,” he said.

“While we have reviewed subvention to some tertiary institutions in line with our emphasis on prudence, our commitment to funding education in a targeted and sustainable fashion remains unwavering.”