It is a Sunday morning in Anambra—October 5, 2025. Church bells echo across Ozubulu, Awka, and Aguata, mingling with quiet reflections from classrooms left empty for the weekend. It’s World Teachers’ Day—a day meant for celebration—but for many teachers, it feels more like a pause to breathe between battles.
Beyond the Banners and Promises
In Ozubulu, Mrs. Ebele, a devoted primary school teacher, sits at her wooden table, preparing lesson notes for Monday. Her school has no WiFi or smartboard, yet her lessons brim with imagination. She borrows data when she can, using her phone to download materials. Her faith in learning fills the gap where infrastructure has failed.
Across the cities, billboards proclaim Smart Learn Anambra and Solution WiFi. A few schools in Awka and Onitsha now enjoy digital tools—tablets, AI content, and training. But beyond those city centers, in places like Ozubulu and Aguata, the digital glow fades. Out of hundreds of schools, only a few are part of these pilot programs. The rest are powered by resilience, not technology.
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The Digital Divide That Persists
The contradiction runs deep. Policies promote “digital inclusion,” yet phones remain banned in classrooms. Workshops train a few “model” teachers, leaving thousands to learn by trial and error. Rural schools battle erratic electricity, self-funded data, and overcrowded classrooms. Teachers are forced to merge traditional chalk lessons with modern demands, often without the tools to bridge that gap.
Still, they rise. Teachers like Mrs. Ebele have become their own IT support, their own power source, and their own inspiration. They teach coding on chalkboards, share WiFi in cafés after church, and mentor colleagues who have never touched an e-learning portal. Their resilience lights up what policy has yet to power.
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Time for Policy to Match Passion
But endurance must not be mistaken for progress. Inflation erodes morale, devices are scarce, and burnout grows silently. A system built on sacrifice cannot stand forever.
If Anambra’s digital vision must endure, it must rest on justice—for the teachers who carry it. Expand Smart Learn beyond pilot schools. Power classrooms with solar energy. Train every teacher, not a privileged few. Provide data stipends, fair pay, and welfare incentives.
As the Governor’s visit to Ozubulu draws near, may the community stand not just as a host, but as a reminder—a symbol of progress made and promises still waiting to be fulfilled.
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A Candle That Still Burns
The lamp still burns in Anambra, yes—but how long it shines depends on how soon we decide to fuel it, together.
