The  Rivers State
Ministry of Education has ruled out any manipulation and fraud in last week’s
aptitude test for the 13000 teaching jobs recently advertised by the
government.

The Tide reliably gathered that contrary to claims in some
quaters that the ministry has published cut -off marks and has begun
recruitment, none of the applicants had been alerted or called for interview.

The Tide independent checks reveal that since the results
were published via internet last week, applicants have been besieging the
Secretariat Complex to lobby and meet officials. But an official debunked the
claim and stated that so far, candidates were expected to check their results
online’. For now, nobody has been called for interview and we did not publish
names of successful canadidates ‘’, the source added.

The source stated that candidates were directed to check
their results on the website while those who could not should come to the
ministry to forward their names for verification.

According to the official, it is only the consultant that
has the right to verify claims made by applicants who had difficulties in
verifying their centres or results, stressing that the ministry has no hand in
the examinations.

Warning those who are lobbying to desist, the source
disclosed that it was learnt that some education officers in some local
governments have started collecting money from applicants and warned those who
have paid money to collect their money as it was frandulent.

The official also
debunked claims that recruitment will be done on local government basis.

Responding to complaints about the sudden changes of exams
centers, the official explained that prior to the exams, enough publicity was
made as regards the shift of local centres to the city,’’ saying we shifted the
centres because we do not want to have problem of accessing the centres or late
arrival of materials ‘’.

Some affected candidates, especially those from Oyigbo and
other local centres had raised alarm over the sudden movement of the centres to
Port Harcourt without adequate notice.

Most of them it was learnt, had arrived the exam centres
late and were not given extra time.

But since the results were posted on net few days later, a
lot of the affected applicants have cried foul over treatment meted to them

From indications, The Tide learnt that soon interview alerts
will be sent to successful candidates before they will be trained and engaged
fully.