Just a week after it was opened, the Abia State teaching recruitment portal has received 17600 applications, the Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, has said.

Abia State Government had a week earlier announced the executive council resolution to recruit 2000 to 2500 teachers to cope with the influx of new enrollment occasioned by the free and compulsory education policy.

However, a week to the closure of the portal for basic education teachers recruitment 17600 candidates have so far applied beating the deadline of Tuesday, February 11.

Kanu, who disclosed the progress of the exercise in Umuahia added that the applications were already being processed.