Thousands scramble for employment forms in A/Ibom

Thousands of unemployed persons have besieged designated centres in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, in desperation to secure employment forms as primary school teachers into the primary education board.

The state government last week announced plans to employ 3,000 primary school teachers and directed prospective with the National Certificate in Education (NCE) to go to centres in each of the three senatorial districts for the forms.

While Uyo, the state capital has two centres, other senatorial districts have one centre each where they prospective employees could obtain the employment forms. The other centre is at West Itam Secondary school, still within Uyo metropolis.

At  community secondary school, Aka in Uyo metropolis, mothers with their babies as well as youths  seeking employment stood under the scorching sun for several hours in an attempt to collect the forms.

“We came here since 8 a.m., but the officials from the state ministry of education did not come until 10 a.m.,’’ one lady who had a baby said.

The lady who identified herself simply as Grace said she could risk her daughter being injured in the fierce struggle to collect the form adding that she has decided to go home after all efforts failed.

“I have pleaded with them to consider those who came with their babies but wouldn’t listen to our pleas. I cannot continue to wait under the sun with my baby,’’ she said.

She alleged that some ladies who came for the employment forms had slumped while waiting for it adding that it was easier for the men.

The woman who said she had her NCE since 2009 lamented that she has remained unemployed ever since she completed the teacher training programme in the state college of education.

Another lady who pleaded anonymity said a male applicant fainted while trying to collect the form adding that though the applicants were grouped according to their local government areas of origin, it did not help matters.

“They asked us to form a file according to our local government areas of origin but pushing and shuffling made it difficult for us to get the forms accordingly,’’ she said.

Some of the applicants who were however able to collect the form said that the stress would have been less if they were asked to go their local government areas of origin for the form.

The exercise is to last for three days while the collection of the forms on Monday was the beginning of the process.

Efforts to speak with the officials handling the exercise were not successful as all entrances to the hall were blocked by the applicants.

Last year, the state government announced that it would employ 5,000 teachers for secondary schools but the process has yet to be concluded.

The ongoing process of recruiting primary school teachers is the first in over seven years since vacancies in primary were filled. Most of the primary schools particularly in the rural areas do not have enough teachers, according to checks.

ANIEFIOK UDONQUAK, Uyo