By: John A. Onoja
The stagnation of promotions for Education Officers in the Federal Ministry of Education has reached a critical point. Despite meeting the required criteria, many officers have gone without promotions for over six years, leading to widespread demotivation, decreased productivity, and a decline in academic performance.
The affected staff are seeking President Bola Tinubu’s intervention, requesting a Special Presidential Waiver to create additional vacancies for promotion. They also want the Federal Civil Service Commission to use consequential vacancies for the 2024 Supplementary promotion, believing this would provide a much-needed boost to their morale.
The officers lamented that they have not received promotions in over six years, despite meeting the criteria for promotion as outlined in the Public Service Rule. This has led to demotivation among the officers, affecting their productivity and the overall quality of education in the country.
The situation is becoming increasingly dire, with many officers feeling frustrated and undervalued. Those who spoke with journalists opined that the Public Service Rule states that officers who score 60% and above in the prescribed promotion examination are eligible for promotion.
However, many Education Officers have passed the examination multiple times but have not been promoted. This has created a sense of hopelessness among the officers, who feel that their hard work and dedication is not recognized.
According to them, the stagnation of promotions has resulted in a lack of motivation among Education Officers. They are struggling to find the enthusiasm to teach and mentor students, leading to a decline in academic performance.
This is a worrying trend, as education is critical to the development of the nation. The Concerned Education Officers from the Federal Ministry of Education have written several letters to the Chairman of the Federal Civil Commission, the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, and the Federal Ministry of Education.
They are also seeking the release of 2024 supplementary results, feeling that Directorate Cadre (Education Officers) are highly marginalized compared to their counterparts in other MDAs. In a letter cited by this medium, the Permanent Secretary noted a request for additional vacancies for Directorate level staff.
The letter, dated 25th October 2024, requested 23 additional vacancies for Directors on salary grade 17 in the 2024 promotion year. However, the officers claim that little has been done since then.
In 2023, Education Officers on Grade levels 15 to 16 and 16 to 17 were denied promotion examinations. For 2024, almost 600 Deputy Directors were invited, and 272 were slated for oral interviews, but only three were promoted.
The aggrieved officers decried the lack of consideration and sensitivity towards them. Citing the risk factor, waste of resources, and manpower; an affected staff member narrated their ordeal when they converged a second time in Abuja for 2 weeks the exercise took place; expressing frustration and disappointment.
She questioned the fate of candidates in the Directorate cadre who performed excellently well last year and appealed for officers who scored above 70 to be considered and promoted. Another affected staff member expressed concerns about the rush to take another promotion examination for 2025 when their efforts in 2024 were jeopardized.
The officers urged President Bola Tinubu to use his powers to call the stakeholders involved in this stagnation to order as they look forward to a lasting solution to this anomaly.