14,729 Candidates Write FTS Examination

Not less than 14,729 candidates have written the 2020/2021 Federal Teachers’ Scheme, FTS, examination.

The examination, which was conducted for teachers across the country on Monday November 16, 2020, was held in 74 Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB-approved centres across the federation.

While monitoring the conduct of the examination in Abuja, the Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC, Dr Hamid Boboye, explained that the programme was to ensure teachers get adequate training before their deployment.

He noted that only 3700 candidates, consisting of 100 from each state would be selected based on state cut-off marks for the programme.

“The budget provided is to engage 100 persons per states. So, we feel they deserve to be absorbed into the state,” he said.

He added that Nigeria needed more teachers to attend to the over 42 million pupils in Nigerian basic schools.

“As far as public schools are concerned, we have a problem in terms of numbers that can adequately meet the population that we have, with about 1.4 million teachers in the system, we need more teachers to cater for the over 42million pupils we have,” he said.

States governments are tasked with engaging the FTS teachers.

He stressed that UBEC has expended resources in making sure they are trained within their immediate environments.

“Some states refuse to absorb such teachers and as such we urge them to do so, as an internship scheme, what happens latter depends on the state where they serve.

“After verification exercise, UBEC will then ascertain the authenticity of their certificate before training commences for them,” he said.

No fewer than 350 thousand applicants applied for the Federal Teachers’ Scheme across the 36 states of the country and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja.