Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has doubled the staff strength in the state’s secondary schools, increasing the number from 13,730 in 2019 to 26,436 within six years of his administration.
The Chairperson of the Post Primary Schools’ Teaching Service Commission, Mrs. Olubukola Oladipo, disclosed this on Wednesday during the Omituntun 2.0 Inter-Ministerial Briefing held at the Governor’s Office, Secretariat, Ibadan.
According to a statement issued by the governor’s Special Adviser on Media, Sulaimon Olanrewaju, the state government recruited 10,500 teaching and non-teaching staff during Governor Makinde’s second term alone.
Oladipo said the commission had also succeeded in creating additional Educational Zones for ease of school administration.
She said, “Four Educational Zones were created by His Excellency for ease of School Administration, now adding up to ten Educational Zones; we have Ibadan Zone I, II, III, IV, Oyo, Ogbomoso, Kishi, Saki, Eruwa and Iseyin Educational Zones.
“We also created the Directorate of Pension and Post Services for effective and efficient service delivery for the TESCOM Retirees.
“We appointed ten Tutors-General/Permanent Secretaries and a Permanent Secretary at the Headquarters for effective and efficient service delivery in areas of monitoring and supervision of teachers and students.”
The TESCOM Chairperson further stated that the commission successfully conducted promotion exercises for eligible officers covering the years 2017 to 2024.
“In 2024 and early 2025, the recruitment of 7,500 teaching and 3,000 non-teaching staff for the improvement in students’ academic performance, both in internal and external examinations, took place.
“That gave an opportunity for the employment of youths, and this will have the multiplier effects of increasing the standard of living of the employed teaching and non-teaching staff.
“As of 2019, when the governor came on board, the total staff strength was 13,73,0, and it is encouraging to state that the staff strength has increased to 26,436.
“The government has continued to pay Running Grants to the 695 public secondary schools to ease school administration for school principals,” she added.
She explained that the commission has been disbursing vehicle loans to interested teaching and non-teaching staff across its ten Zonal Offices.
Oladipo added that to reduce the stress of travelling to the headquarters for cheque collection, the commission has introduced an e-payment system for car loan disbursement.
The Chairperson stated that the commission is planning to train 695 principals to equip them with modern, 21st-century school management skills.