A member representing Ede North/South/Egbedero/ Ejigbo Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Bamidele Salam, has slammed the Osun State Government for approving the purchase of application forms for candidates applying to the state’s teaching service.

The lawmaker stated that it was wrong and insensitive considering the grim realities of youth unemployment and abject poverty in the country.

Bamidele, who made this comment in an opinion published on his social media handle revealed that even in the private sector, applicants are not required to pay before applying.

While noting his dismay at the extreme depreciation in the quality of public schools education partly caused by the quality of some of the teaching staff, he expressed support for Government in its insistent that those who sought to be recruited as teachers in Osun State must pass an aptitude test as conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB).

He suggested that the state government should refund the monies paid by all applicants and apologise to them for collecting the fees and to continue with the aptitude test and other necessary exams and interviews to select the best of the applicants.

“Please refund the monies paid by all applicants and apologise for even collecting the fees in the first place.

“Continue with the aptitude test and other necessary exams and interviews to select the best of the applicants.

“Refuse to be cajoled, begged or forced to employ anyone who cannot pass the exams into our schools.

Adding that, “as an entrepreneur in the schools sector, I will never be begged, cajoled, forced to employ any teacher who cannot pass our qualifying exams which are usually in three parts. I don’t think anyone’s children deserve to be entrusted to those who have no business being in the classrooms.

“One of the secrets of the growth of modern nations is that they make deliberate policies to attract their best brains into the teaching profession and I am of the view that this is where we must now go.”

DAILY POST reports that earlier in the week the state government had conducted a recruitment test for applicants into the state’s teaching service.

The recruitment test was supervised by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

DailyPost