The Abia Government has commenced training for 5,349 newly recruited teachers across nursery, primary and secondary school levels in the state.

Media reports that the training was organised by the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education under the acronym of AbiaFIRST Education Programme, geared towards improving education standards in the state.

AbiaFIRST, which stands for Abia Fostering Innovation and Reform for School Transformation, was the government’s initiative to transform the educational sector in the state.

Goodluck Ubochi, state Commissioner for Education, who declared the exercise open on Tuesday at the Federal Government Girls’ College, Umuahia, urged the teachers to be committed to their jobs as agents of transformation.

Ubochi said the government had committed a lot of resources to equip teachers with the necessary skills and knowledge to deliver quality education.

The commissioner, who assured the teachers of prompt payment of salaries and better welfare packages, however, warned them against indolence and lack of commitment to duty.

He disclosed that the government would recruit another set of 4,000 teachers after their deployment to fill up any existing vacancies in the schools.

According to him, Gov. Alex Otti of Abia is ready to spend a significant amount to ensure that education in the state becomes what it ought to be.

In a goodwill message, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Uchechi Kalu, admonished the teachers to take their work seriously and be committed to their calling as teachers.

“We are all gathered here to equip you, so that come September, when you will be involved in the practical aspect of your job, you will perform exceedingly well,” she said.

Also, the state Chairman, Nigerian Union of Teachers, Friday Madu, said that the union would celebrate Otti on October 5, being World Teachers’ Day, for his transformational leadership in education.

Similarly, Olorunfemi Omotayo, Programme Manager, Education Reform and Innovation Team (ERIT), the consultant, said that the mandate of the training was to turn the newly recruited teachers into agents of transformation.