The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has condemned Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke for deploying 1,750 members of the Imole Youth Corps as teachers in public schools across the state. The association described the move as an unacceptable shortcut that compromises the quality of education.
Governor Adeleke had approved the deployment as a temporary measure to address delays in the planned mass recruitment of professional teachers due to financial constraints. However, NANS Southwest (Zone D), through its Secretary General, Comrade Oluwole Aboke, expressed disappointment over what it called the politicisation of the recruitment process. He said the decision to convert a civic engagement programme into a teaching scheme undermines the integrity of the teaching profession.
Aboke stressed that teaching demands proper training, certification, and ongoing professional development—none of which were required for the Imole Youth Corps. He recalled that many qualified graduates had applied and paid for the previously advertised recruitment exercise, went through screenings, and waited with high hopes, only to be sidelined and replaced by what he described as a politically-motivated initiative.
The student body demanded an immediate, transparent, and merit-based recruitment of certified teachers. It also called on education stakeholders, parents, professional bodies, and civil society organisations to reject any measures that compromise the value of education. NANS insisted that Osun students should not be made to suffer the consequences of political expediency disguised as cost-saving measures.
