Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
The Educational Advancement Centre (EAC), Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, handling the ongoing Computer Based Test for recruitment of teachers in Oyo State has said the test was purely intended to select the best hands for teaching appointments in the state and not for Christianisation of the state as being insinuated by the Nigeria-based Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC).
The Chief Strategic Officer, EAC, Pastor Muyiwa Bamgbose, said on Tuesday during the inspection of the ongoing teachers recruitment test by the Oyo State Government.
According to him, the trio of of MURIC, Oyo State Post Primary Schools Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM), and the consulting firm had held a meeting and the MURIC has been convinced that the CBT was not targeted at christianising the state.
“I am happy that MURIC has been convinced that there is no agenda at all. The main objective of this assessment is to get the best hands to teach students in the state. I remember an illustration given by Prof. Oloyede of JAMB one day that if you have a medical case and a qualified Christian surgeon comes and you are a Muslim patient, would it matter to you? What we are talking about is the future of the children. At this point, what is uppermost to TESCOM is getting the best hands.
“The most important factor in education is the quality of teacher. For us as a consultant, excellence is our core value. It is all about getting the best hands. There were some general knowledge questions that are religious, some Christian knowledge, some Islam. We eventually expunged the religious-based questions. That is to show that there is good intention. There is no plan to Christianise the state.
“We are happy that Kwara State has indicated its resolve to understudy Oyo State in order to replicate it. If you build good school structure with excellent facilities without good teachers, it is a waste of resources. For the test, we ensured that there was physical distancing in compliance with the COVID-19 protocols, we provided adequate sanitation materials, all candidates covered their faces and mouths.
“Education is the way to go and the best thing is to put the right people in the classrooms. Computer based test allows for effective testing; it is difficult to cheat. We are also able to see that the teachers are computer literate and technically savvy. We tested for 19 different subjects and we are able to deliver.”
The Chairman, TESCOM, Oyo State, Pastor Akinade Alamu, said also said: “The issue of religion that was made was due to misunderstanding of the whole concept. The MURIC members that agitated came to the centre, they saw everything and expressed satisfaction at the process. We told them that if they like, they can join us for invigilation. We asked them to come around and see things for themselves and they were all satisfied.”