The Kwara State Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM) has announced the shortlisting of 1,800 applicants for teaching positions across the state’s senior secondary schools.
According to a statement released on Sunday, the candidates were selected after a rigorous three-month recruitment exercise involving online applications, computer-based testing, and interviews.
The commission revealed that the selection was purely merit-based and driven by a needs assessment across the state’s 16 local government areas. Of the 1,800 shortlisted, 790 (44%) will teach STEM subjects, 581 are assigned to core subjects, 370 to specialized areas, and 59 to technical disciplines. Notably, 31 persons living with disabilities (PLWDs) also made the final list.
“We thank all the applicants who took part in this rigorous and competitive process. Our shortlist is exclusively based on merit, needs assessment, and equity, with zero political interference,” the statement said. “This is as strictly directed by His Excellency Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, CON, to strengthen public confidence in our schools, encourage excellence, and give everyone a fair chance to get the limited government placement, irrespective of their backgrounds. It is, indeed, another record breaker and we thank the Governor for this exemplary leadership.”
Shortlisted candidates have been directed to check their status on the TESCOM recruitment portal. All successful applicants are to undergo a compulsory drug test conducted by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), coordinated by the Special Assistant to the Governor on Drugs Abuse, Prevention and Control, Hon. Mukail Olamilekan Aileru. The drug screening exercise will run from Wednesday, April 9 to Saturday, April 12.
“His Excellency has graciously approved full payment for the drug test for all the 1,800 successful candidates, underscoring his commitment to a drug-free Kwara State,” the statement added.
The testing schedule is as follows: candidates from Baruten, Edu, Kaiama, and Patigi on April 9; Ekiti, Ifelodun, Irepodun, and Isin on April 10; Offa, Oke Ero, Oyun, and Moro on April 11; and Asa, Ilorin East, Ilorin South, and Ilorin West on April 12. The NDLEA will forward the results directly to TESCOM to avoid forgery.
“The message is very clear: We are as interested in sound education as we are in having only tutors with sound mind and character,” the statement stressed.
Additionally, successful applicants must sign a six-year bond to prevent transfers, especially from rural areas facing acute teacher shortages. They are also expected to present medical certificates from state hospitals, original copies of credentials (with photocopies), and handwritten letters of acceptance. Documentation begins concurrently with the drug test at the TESCOM headquarters in Ilorin.
“These jobs were given to competent and qualified indigenes, non-indigenes, and persons living with disabilities once they come under the needs assessment and meet the criteria set by the commission,” TESCOM said.
