8 candidates shortlisted for teaching job roles tested positive to drugs in Kwara
Following the conclusion of the drug test conducted for the shortlisted candidates for the teaching job roles, the Kwara State Teaching Service Commission, TESCOM said eight out of the 1,800 successful candidates have been tested positive for hard drugs.
The drug test, which was part of the criteria to be fulfilled, was conducted by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), and eight candidates were tested positive for substances like benzodiazepine, tramadol, and marijuana.
Meanwhile, the TESCOM Chairman, Bello Taoheed Abubakar, while confirming the incident in a statement on Monday, said the affected candidates will be replaced by the next best candidates from their respective local government areas.
According to Abubakar, “A major implication of this development is that the affected individuals will be replaced by the candidates who are next to them in performance from their respective local government areas”.
“The idea is to send an unmistaken message about the state government’s zero tolerance for drug abuse. We have a duty of care not to expose little children to drug abuse under any circumstance.
“Again, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has etched his name in gold for again insisting that recruitment into the teaching profession should be strictly meritorious and devoid of any practices that may jeopardize quality learning in our schools. He has also proven that he is a man who is sold to giving every Kwaran a fair chance.”
On April 9, the Kwara State Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM) announced that it has shortlisted no fewer than one-thousand-eight-hundred (1,800) for teaching appointments in public secondary school in the state.
According to a statement by Sam Onile, the Press Secretary of the Ministry, the shortlisted applicants emerged from a thorough screening exercise, which included online application, computer based test, and interviews spanning up to three months, it said.
The statement said the shortlist comprises 790 (44%) cleared for STEM subjects; 581 for core subjects; 370 for specialized subjects; and 59 for technical subjects — to be assigned to senior secondary schools across the 16 local government areas of the state in line with the needs assessment of the commission.
Applicants who appeared for the interviews are to check their status on the portal, after which those shortlisted will undergo a mandatory drug test to ascertain their suitability to teach children, the statement added.
The drug test will be carried out by the NDLEA and will be coordinated by the Special Assistant to the Governor on Drugs Abuse, Prevention and Control Hon. Mukail Olamilekan Aileru, adding that the drug test certificate will be sent to its office by the NDLEA as no candidate is allowed to access it on their own to curb counterfeiting.
