Abia: The secret revolution in education sector.

Abia: The secret revolution in education sector

IT was the late John F. Kennedy, the 35th American President who once said: “Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities, because in each of us there is a private hope and dream which, fulfilled, can be translated into benefit for everyone and greater strength for our nation”.

This notable quote from one of the world’s great leaders was a pointer to the importance of education, especially in a developing country like ours.

This was aptly recognised, digested and adopted by the present administration in Abia under the able leadership of Chief Theodore Orji since he assumed office as governor in 2007. A clear testimony to the effect was his quick and unbridled interventions in the decayed education sector in the state, which his government has sustained till today.

As a product of public schools, Orji in 2008 reactivated the Abia State Scholarship Board that has been comatose for years. The sum of N10, 000 each was given to 1000 students of Abia origin in different schools as bursary grants for the year. Since then, the now well-funded Board has offered scholarship to many indigenes of the state for degree and postgraduate degrees at home and abroad.

For pupils and students in primary and secondary schools in the state, apart from tuition-free education policy in place, fleets of buses have been provided for them in the Free School Bus Scheme of the present administration.

Those of us who are teachers and had our promotions delayed for years by the previous administrations without any explanation or reason had every cause to be happy now as the situation changed immediately Governor Orji won his second term election. It was a promise he made to us before the election and fulfilled it immediately he won the election. Added to the promotions was the increase in minimum wage.

As a mark of success of the present government’s intervention in the education sector, the state in 2008 came second in the South East zone in the attainment of Universal Basic Education, UBE, goals according to the ranking released by the National Universal Basic Education Commission. Since then, the state has emerged second twice, and first once, of which they were given the sum of N70 million as star prize.

Most public schools in the state, which were in dilapidated state and calling for urgent attention as they were no longer conducive for learning and teaching, have been renovated and re-equipped by the government. They included National High School Aba, Girls Secondary School Umuahia, St. Joseph Model Secondary School Aba, Government College Umuahia, School for the Deaf Ntalakwu Oboro and renovation is ongoing in so many others.

Also under the Education Trust Fund Projects, classroom blocks were erected at National High School Aba, Egwuama Girls Secondary Abiriba, Girls Commercial School Aba, Umuokpara Secondary School Umuahia, Community Secondary School Isieke, Amari Senior Science Ikwuano and others. At the last count, not less than 250 public schools have been renovated and equipped by the government since 2008 and presently massive construction and renovation are ongoing in other public schools across the state.

Textbooks, chairs and other materials have been regularly and adequately provided for the teachers, pupils and students in the public schools in the State to make teaching and learning easier and a worthwhile experience. That is why the state has been performing well in national and international academic competitions.

At the two technical schools in the state, namely Boys Technical College Aba and Government Technical College Ohafia, eight buildings each have been refurbished and renovated in each of them.

Also receiving adequate attention from the state government since 2008 till now are the state-owned tertiary institutions, especially Abia State University Uturu where Orji’s predecessor, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu attended as a sitting governor of the state to obtain first degree certificate. When Governor Orji assumed office in 2007, monthly subvention to Abia State University was N80 million, but Governor Orji increased it to N120 million immediately.

Apart from the increment in the subvention, government injected huge funds in the institution for the full accreditation of all the courses that had before now suffered accreditation problems due to the inadequacies and lapses in both human and material resources in the school. Today, all the courses in the school had gotten full accreditation and the students are happy for it.

The backlog of students in the Nursing Department of the institution who have been denied graduation due to the non-accreditation of the department heaved a sigh of relief recently with the restoration of accreditation in the department following interventions from the state government that worked so hard for it by construction befitting edifices at Abia State University Teaching Hospital Aba and provided other things needed for the full accreditation.

The same thing happened at Abia State Polytechnic Aba which the government have helped in ensuring that all their courses were given full accreditation by the National Board for Technical Education, NBTE.\

Mr. INNOCENT AMALU, a teacher, wrote from Umuahia, Abia State.