Posted by By AKEEB ALARAPE, Ibadan on
For daring to make public its intention to recruit over 4,000 teachers for the state primary schools, Oyo State Primary Education Board (SPEB) became a feasting ground for con men and certificate forgers.
For daring to make public its intention to recruit over 4,000 teachers for the state primary schools, Oyo State Primary Education Board (SPEB) became a feasting ground for con men and certificate forgers.
Chairman of the board, Professor Taoheed Adedoja disclosed this, stating that dozens of fake certificates and letters of ‘To Whom it May Concern' have been discovered from applicants who trooped to his office since the Board announced the recruitment exercise.
Adedoja, who played host to representatives of the Federal College of Education (Special), Oyo, in his office, however, revealed that measures to checkmate the fraudulent acts have been put in place.
According to him, as part of measures to detect fraudulent acts, the Board has commenced computerization of all applicants' information on database system to verify results while certificates of applicants would be sent back to their institutions for verification.
The SPEB boss, however, enjoined all higher institutions of learning in the country to put in place special graduation code with matriculation number of each student so as to make it easier for computer to detect irregularities on school results or certificates.
Shedding light on the recruitment exercise, Adedoja explained that the need for more teachers was informed by the vacuum created by the movement of qualified teachers from public primary schools to the Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) by the state government.
'But the Board would not compromise merit and transparency in employing qualified teachers into the state primary schools. We want the people to feel and know that they can obtain forms from OYSPEB of today, sit for screening test and get employed without any affliation to any quarters," Adedoja said.
Meanwhile, a middle-aged man, Olusola Fadare of Agugu area of Ibadan City, has been apprehended by officials of the Board for printing and selling fake SPEB employment forms to unsuspecting members of the public.
Fadare, who is now telling the police about his shady deals, confessed to belonging to a syndicate at Agugu area of the city with one Kunle as their printer.
The arrest of Fadare was said to have been made possible by an applicant, Mr. Hammed Munirudeen, who brought in fake forms and receipts for submission at the SPEB Headquarters. Munirudeen later led security operatives to Fadare when he was apprehended. Found on him were several copies of the Board's employment forms and receipts.