Private primary and secondary schools in Oyo State, South-West Nigeria, have been hit with shortage of teachers, Ekwutosblog reports.

A source hinted that the development is visible in major cities and towns such as Ogbomoso, Oyo, Saki, Iseyin, Eruwa and other locations in the state.

Findings by Ekwutosblog revealed that this was noticed at the beginning of the second term of the 2024/2025 academic session on Monday, 6th January, 2025.

It was observed that hundreds of teachers in both private primary and secondary schools across the state failed to resume when the new term began.

This is said to be due to the employment of some teachers by the Oyo State government and the implementation of the new minimum wage.

It could be recalled that the state government under the leadership of Engineer Seyi Makinde recently employed no fewer than 5,600 teachers across the state, in order to fill the vacant positions in public schools across the state.

Investigation by Ekwutosblog at the weekend revealed that the state government had on Monday, 6th January 2025 began the distribution of letters of appointment to the newly recruited basic school teachers in the state.

Adeniran, who restated the Board’s zero tolerance for examination malpractices, said the new teachers’ appointments take effect from January 1st, 2025.

He, however, noted that about 12 local governments are over-bloated with teachers, while some local governments are under-staffed, saying a redistribution would be done to ensure equity and justice.

Adeniran urged the newly recruited teachers to display patriotic commitment, high level of integrity, and professional diligence to their duties.

“As young teachers, you are expected to be creative, adaptive, talented, and progressive. We urge you to be innovative, I therefore urge you to be the teacher for this age and the game-changing teacher for the future.

“You will be expected to be part of our dream to revolutionalize the basic education sub-sector,” he said.

Our correspondent learnt that the majority of those who were employed by the state government are teachers who were teaching in private primary and secondary schools in the state.

Ekwutosblog  also gathered that the state government in November approved N80,000 as minimum wage for workers in the state.

Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Dotun Oyelade, made this declaration in a statement made available to Ekwutosblog .

Oyelade said that the Technical Committee set up by the state government recommended the amount.

He said: “This new scale will be implemented as soon as the consequential adjustments process is completed by the committee which comprises Government and Labour top officials.”

Following these developments, private schools are now faced with an acute shortage of teachers.

From Ido, to Akinyele, Lagelu to Egbeda, Ona Ara to Oluyole, Ibadan North to Ibadan North West, Ibadan North East to Ibadan South West and Ibadan North, our correspondent reports that the situation remains the same.

A similar thing is currently happening in other cities and towns in the state such as Ogbomoso, Oyo, Saki, Iseyin and Eruwa.

Some of the teachers and parents who spoke with Ekwutosblog attributed the development to the employment of teachers by the state government and the new minimum wage policy.

A school administrator in one of the affected schools in Lagelu local government area, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that no fewer than 20 teachers left the school this term.

He attributed the development to the recent recruitment of teachers and the new minimum wage.

“The recent recruitment by Oyo State Government and the quest for the new minimum wage by the workers had negatively affected us.

“As of today, no fewer than 27 teachers left our school at the beginning of this term.

“We are looking for ways to replace them immediately but we are yet to see the new ones that are qualified.

“We have to increase our salary to be able to attract quality teachers and retain the remaining ones that are with us in the school,” he said.

A teacher in one of the private schools in Ibadan North local government area, Mrs. Busayo Akindele disclosed that no fewer than three teachers did not resume when the new term began.

She said that the school was now looking for ways to replace those who left.

“In our school, three teachers have left. You know the state government recently employed over 5,000 teachers.

“We that are here are also demanding the payment of the new minimum wage. So, this is negatively affecting the majority of the schools in the state.

“We are affected and I am sure other schools are being affected too,” she stated.

A parent who resides in Ido local government area, Mrs. Sade Oladele also confirmed that some teachers have left her children’s schools.

“The employment of new teachers by the state government is having negative consequences on private schools in the state.

“You know that the state government recently employed some teachers. I commend the state government for the opportunity given to the qualified teachers.

“It is commendable, at least it will help to increase the standard of education in the state.

“But, at the same time, it is having negative consequences on the private schools,” she noted.

An indigene of Iseyin in Oke Ogun geopolitical zone identified as Omolara said that the situation remained the same in the Oke Ogun geopolitical zone.

According to him, “It is the same thing we are experiencing in Iseyin.

“Many of the people who are teaching in private schools have left because they have been given letters of appointments by the state government.

“You also need to understand the issue of the new minimum wage. Some schools do not have the capacity to pay, so many teachers have left.”

The distribution took place at Local Government Universal Basic Education Authorities, LGUBEAs, situated in all local government areas across the state.

Chairman, Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board, Dr. Nureni Aderemi Adeniran, who spoke on the development recently, charged the new teachers to be innovative and embrace modern techniques and approach in imparting knowledge.