Aug 5, 2026

Oyebanji Opens Rural Teacher Recruitment to Fix Basic Education Gaps

By Afolabi Olaiya Idowu in job

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In a decisive move to shore up the foundations of learning across Ekiti State, the administration of Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji has thrown open the doors for qualified teachers to join public primary and basic schools.

The Ekiti State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) announced the recruitment on 4 August 2026, with the online portal live until noon on 11 August and the qualifying examination set for 14 and 15 August.

This is no ordinary job advert. It is the latest concrete step in what has become a defining priority of the Oyebanji government: ensuring every child in Ekiti, especially those in rural communities, has access to capable teachers and a functioning classroom.

The exercise is strictly rural-based. Successful applicants will be posted outside Ado-Ekiti and Ikere Local Government Education Authorities, filling gaps created by years of retirements and strengthening schools that have long struggled with staffing shortages.

SUBEB Executive Chairman Professor Femi Akinwumi described the governor’s approval as a clear signal of commitment to quality basic education.

“The recruitment will be based strictly on consequential vacancies arising from the retirement of teachers over the past few years,” he stated. “This will not only improve teaching and learning but also guarantee that every child has access to quality basic education.”

The process, he emphasised, will be transparent and merit-driven, with selection guided by qualifications, competence and the specific needs of schools in critical subject areas and hard-to-reach communities.

Eligibility is straightforward. Candidates must hold a Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) or a Bachelor’s degree in Education (B.Ed or equivalent). The application is completely free.

Applicants are warned to ignore anyone demanding money or promising influence. After online registration at the official portal, candidates must print their forms, which will serve as entry passes for the examination.

This is the second major primary-school teacher recruitment under Oyebanji’s administration. An earlier exercise in 2023 brought in about 1,500 teachers and 200 non-teaching staff.

The current drive continues that momentum, reflecting a broader pattern of investment that has already seen the state pay more than ₦9.7 billion in UBEC counterpart funds since 2022, renovate hundreds of classroom blocks, promote over 7,000 primary-school teachers, and elevate head teachers to Grade Level 16 for the first time in the state’s history.

For parents in remote villages and for the teachers who will soon fill those classrooms, the practical impact is immediate.

More hands in rural schools mean smaller class sizes, better supervision, and a stronger chance that children complete the foundational years with the skills they need.

For the state, it is another building block in the human-capital agenda that Governor Oyebanji has repeatedly described as non-negotiable for Ekiti’s long-term prosperity.

The measure of leadership, as the administration has often noted, lies in the lives it transforms.

By choosing to strengthen the teaching workforce at the basic-education level and deliberately directing new teachers to the places that need them most, Ekiti is taking a deliberate step toward a more knowledgeable and productive generation.

Qualified educators ready to serve in rural communities now have a clear, free and official pathway to contribute to that future.