13,000 Teachers’ Job: RSG Set To Make History

The Rivers State Government has finally rekindled the seemingly lost hope for thousands of applicants who had participated, last September, in written interviews for the 13,000 teachers’ job advertised mid last year by the state Ministry of Education to boost the teaching capacity in the state’s primary, junior and secondary schools.

This process, when completed, will make Rivers State Government first in the country to have employed this large number of teachers at a go in the last three decades

The Tide can now authoritatively reveal that shortlisted candidates for recruitment into the Rivers State schools’ system, whose dreams had suffered setback in the past can now gear up for the final lap of the recruitment exercise and their engagement, if successful, as the process has been restarted.

Consequently, the state Governor, Rt Hon Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has directed the Ministry of Education to continue and conclude the process as quickly as possible to enable the government-owned schools accelerate effective academic work for posterity.

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Dr Richard Ofuru, who confirmed the governor’s directive to restart the process, said in an interview last week, that, “we have re-commenced the exercise on the directive of  the state governor”, adding that, “we have held a meeting with the relevant boards as well as with the consultancy firm doing the job recruitment .”

According to him, “the reason is because the state governor had directed us to get the best for Rivers State. We are bent on doing just that which informed our hiring a top consultancy firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), to conduct the exercise. I am sure you understand the standard we are aiming at by inviting that firm for the job.”

The Tide recalls that PricewaterhouseCoopers is a multinational professional services firm headquartered in London, the United Kingdom. It is the world’s largest professional services firm and the largest of the “Big Four” accountancy firms measured by 2012 revenues.

The firm had total revenues of $31.5billion in fiscal year 2012, out of which $14.9billion was generated by its assurance practice, $7.9billion by its tax practice and $8.7billion by its advisory practice.

It has offices in 776 cities across 158 countries, including Nigeria and Kenya, and employs well over 180,000 people across diverse boundaries, colours, creed and sex.

PwC was formed in 1998 following a merger between Coopers & Lybrand and Price Waterhouse. Its trading name was shortened to PwC in September, 2010 as part of a major rebranding strategy.

The firm has its Port Harcourt offices at #35, Woji Street, GRA Phase 11, but attempts to reach top management to comment on the new development proved abortive.

On its website, PwC acknowledged that its Nigerian subsidiary provides comprehensive advice and assistance to companies and government bodies in the implementation of their crisis management and performance improvement plans.

According to PwC, “our consultants bring together a full range of functional and industry skills to help you in this environment”, adding that, “we take the time to listen, and have the courage to debate different points of views – based on independent and challenging insights, supported by facts and industry benchmarks.”

The PwC indicated that, with more than 8,000 performance improvement professionals in over 90 countries, it is able to leverage in-depth local expertise, supported by an extensive global network.

However, The Tide was reliably informed that PwC has already submitted a comprehensive work plan to the state Ministry of Education, detailing strategies, timelines, plausible benefits, and cost implications of the exercise.

According to sources, for those whose names had been published since last week, they will be required to confirm their centres and dates for the written examinations through means already communicated to them.

But Ofuru, revealed that those whose names were initially missing in the previous publication would have two days to sit for the written test as long as they had met the required cut off marks.

The Tide recalls that the transparency brought to bear in the exercise by the recruiters had infuriated certain personalities in the state, who had unsuccessfully sought to either influence or scuttle the entire exercise.

In an earlier interview, Press Secretary to the Speaker, Rivers State House of Assembly, Udede Jim-Opiki, had noted that in 2012, the lawmakers had taken the step to stop the Ministry of Education from “giving away jobs meant for Rivers State natives to non-indigenes.”

Super Eagles players celebrating their victory yesterday against Cote D’ Iviore at the quarter finals of the ongoing Nations Cup in South Africa