The Jigawa State Government has expanded its teaching workforce with the formal presentation of appointment letters to over 2,000 newly recruited secondary school teachers, adding to the thousands of teaching staff recruited over the past three years as part of its efforts to strengthen the education sector in the state.
The event featured the presentation of appointment letters to 2,020 newly recruited teachers, comprising 1,100 appointed on permanent and pensionable terms and 920 engaged under the J-Teach programme.
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Governor Umar Namadi, who presided over the presentation at the Banquet Hall of Government House, Dutse, said the intervention was aimed at addressing shortages of qualified teachers and improving pupil–teacher and student–teacher ratios across the state, particularly in underserved rural communities.
“Barely a month ago, we provided school uniforms, bags, and writing materials to thousands of learners across the state to improve access and strengthen learning conditions. Today, we complement that investment by expanding the teaching workforce and directing qualified teachers to schools where shortages are most acute, particularly in underserved rural communities. This occasion therefore marks another purposeful step towards better teaching, improved learning outcomes, and a stronger future for every child in Jigawa State.”
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The governor said the appointments represented another stage of the administration’s effort to strengthen the teaching workforce while creating employment opportunities for qualified young people.
Governor Namadi said the government’s investment in education must go beyond infrastructure and learning materials, stating that the importance of having sufficient numbers of qualified and motivated teachers in schools cannot be overemphasized.
“More than ever, in a rapidly changing world powered by information and communication technology, people need the knowledge, skills, and tools that quality education provides to thrive the knowledge, skills, and tools that quality education provides. This enduring reality explains why we continue to commit a significant proportion of our annual budget to education. It also means our investments in classrooms, furniture, instructional materials, technology, and school governance must be matched by enough qualified, motivated, and properly supported teachers.”
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He said the state government would continue to give attention to teacher development, including induction, continuous training and retraining, improved teaching methods, and professional development through the Teacher Development Agency.
“This intervention fulfils a commitment made at the inception of our administration: to improve unfavourable pupil–teacher and student–teacher ratios through the recruitment of qualified teachers, sustained training and retraining, and a more balanced deployment policy. The objective is not simply to increase staff numbers but to ensure that every school—particularly those in underserved rural communities—has the right mix of personnel to deliver effective teaching and meaningful learning.”
The governor said the latest appointments were part of a broader expansion of the teaching workforce since the beginning of his administration.
“Since 2023, the J-TEACH pathway has brought 7,500 personnel into basic education, with 3,000 subsequently converted to permanent and pensionable appointments after training and a competitive selection process. At the post-basic level, nearly 2,000 personnel entered through the same programme, and 1,000 later secured permanent status. These efforts were reinforced by deploying more than 2,100 graduate teachers and employing about 600 teaching and non-teaching staff for mega schools and other boarding senior secondary schools across the state.”
He assured the new appointees that the government would provide the necessary support while urging them to demonstrate professionalism, discipline, and commitment to the interests of learners.
“Government will support you with effective induction, mentoring, supervision, and fair performance assessment,” he said.
The governor also commended Guaranty Trust Bank for donating 450 bicycles to pupils and students who travel long distances to schools in hard-to-reach communities, saying the intervention would help ease the burden of daily travel and improve access, punctuality, attendance, and retention among affected learners.
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