Nigerian teachers ‘won’t steal jobs’

GOVERNMENT has confirmed that it has entered into an agreement with Nigeria to recruit 160 volunteer teachers from that country.

The agreement was reached during negotiations between the two countries in Abuja in October. However, the Nigerian teachers will only be brought in after the Ministry of Education has tried to fill all school vacancies with qualified Namibians.The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Vitalis Ankama, said the Nigerian volunteer teachers would be recruited if there were still vacancies left.The Namibian has it on good authority that under the agreement Nigeria will pay the air fare and salaries of the volunteer teachers, most of whom specialise in maths and science, while the Namibian Government will provide their accommodation.The majority of Nigerian volunteers have experience of 20 to 25 years and will be recruited on a two-year contract, after which they will return home.It will not be the first group of Nigerian teachers brought to Namibia, as other groups have been recruited in the past.The Nigerian High Commissioner to Namibia, Prince Adegboyega Ariyo, announced recently the volunteers would be in Namibia before the start of the next academic year.Ankama said the request for their arrival would only be forwarded to the Nigerian authorities when such a need arises.He urged trained yet unemployed Namibian teachers “to remain calm”.He said the Government was still in negotiations with the Namibia National Teachers’ Union (Nantu) and the filling of vacancies was in progress with the hope that “each and every such unemployed qualified teacher has applied for such vacancies”.”However, also take note that all regional education directors have been given a directive to ensure that only qualified teachers are considered to fill such vacancies and that any chance for unqualified and under-qualified teachers can only arise under special circumstances, namely where no qualified teacher is available to take up such a post,” Ankama said.He called on unemployed qualified teachers to be in touch with their offices in the regions and to indicate their readiness to be placed at schools with vacancies.However, the Nigerian teachers will only be brought in after the Ministry of Education has tried to fill all school vacancies with qualified Namibians.The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Vitalis Ankama, said the Nigerian volunteer teachers would be recruited if there were still vacancies left.The Namibian has it on good authority that under the agreement Nigeria will pay the air fare and salaries of the volunteer teachers, most of whom specialise in maths and science, while the Namibian Government will provide their accommodation.The majority of Nigerian volunteers have experience of 20 to 25 years and will be recruited on a two-year contract, after which they will return home. It will not be the first group of Nigerian teachers brought to Namibia, as other groups have been recruited in the past.The Nigerian High Commissioner to Namibia, Prince Adegboyega Ariyo, announced recently the volunteers would be in Namibia before the start of the next academic year.Ankama said the request for their arrival would only be forwarded to the Nigerian authorities when such a need arises.He urged trained yet unemployed Namibian teachers “to remain calm”.He said the Government was still in negotiations with the Namibia National Teachers’ Union (Nantu) and the filling of vacancies was in progress with the hope that “each and every such unemployed qualified teacher has applied for such vacancies”.”However, also take note that all regional education directors have been given a directive to ensure that only qualified teachers are considered to fill such vacancies and that any chance for unqualified and under-qualified teachers can only arise under special circumstances, namely where no qualified teacher is available to take up such a post,” Ankama said.He called on unemployed qualified teachers to be in touch with their offices in the regions and to indicate their readiness to be placed at schools with vacancies.