The Ondo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) has announced a significant shift in its promotion policy for public primary school teachers, starting next year.
According to the board, promotions will no longer be automatic; instead, they will be based on the performance of teachers.
This announcement came during an interactive session with education secretaries from the state’s 18 local government areas at the board’s headquarters in Akure, on Friday.
Mr. Victor Olabimtan, the Executive Chairman of Ondo SUBEB, emphasized that this change was necessary to improve the overall performance of pupils in public primary schools in common entrance examinations into public secondary schools in the state.
The Chairman expressed the state government’s dissatisfaction with the performance of primary school pupils in these examinations and emphasized the need for empirical evidence of teacher performance before promotions, especially for teachers in level 13 and above.
Mr. Olabimtan stated, “From next year, no teacher will be promoted to the next grade levels, especially from level 13 and above, without empirical evidence that the wards under them performed very well in their examinations.”
The Ondo State government has made substantial investments in the basic education sector, including the construction and renovation of over 900 schools and the distribution of free instructional materials to pupils.
As a result, the government expects improved performance from teachers and pupils alike in all examinations.
The SUBEB Chairman also cautioned education secretaries and head teachers to fulfill their responsibilities effectively.
He emphasized the government’s commitment to maintaining high-performance standards in education and warned that any individual attempting to undermine these standards would be held accountable, regardless of their position.
“All promotions, especially from grade 13 and above, will be subjected to performance evaluation by the Board and the Ministry of Education Science and Technology,” Olabimtan stated.
In an effort to ensure compliance, the board plans to strengthen its monitoring and supervision mechanisms by conducting unscheduled visits to all schools in the state at the beginning of the new academic session.
Teachers who engage in truancy or other unauthorized activities during school hours have been warned that they will face consequences.
Mr. Olabimtan concluded by addressing the issue of teachers who have been found to be absent from their duties or engaged in other activities during school hours.
He stated that such behavior is unacceptable, and individuals caught doing so will face penalties.
