LAGOS MARCH 11TH (URHOBOTODAY)-The Delta Government is to engage more qualified teachers to increase the teacher-to-pupil ratio in the state and to improve the standard of education in the state.

The Commissioner for Secondary Education, Mrs Rose Ezewu, made this known on Thursday while monitoring the aptitude test for 6,900 candidates who applied for teaching jobs.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the aptitude test is being conducted through the Computer Based Test (CBT).

The commissioner monitored the exercise at the Delta State Library ICT Centre and Delta State Polytechnic, Ogwashi-Uku in Oshimili South and Aniocha South Local Government Areas.

She urged the applicants to put in their best.

Also speaking, Mr Augustine Oghoro, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education described the use of CBT as an innovation geared towards sanitising the process of evaluation.

Oghoro said that the use of CBT in aptitude test in the state began in 2019 with the recruitment conducted by the state Ministry of Technical Education.

“The Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education is applying the scheme for the first time with the ongoing recruitment processes.

“Through the use of CBT the results of the performance of the applicants will be accessed instantly.

“The use of CBT is to evaluate the competencies of shortlisted applicants and a total number of 6,900 candidates were shortlisted,’’ she said.

NAN reports that in February, Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta approved the recruitment of 1,500 teachers to shore up the academic staff strength for secondary schools in the state.

Okowa said that the figure was to make up for the shortfall in the number of teachers in some public post-primary schools ocasioned by retirements, deaths and a number of new schools established across the state. (NAN)