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.
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