Abia State Governor Alex Otti has launched a major reform initiative aimed at training 12,000 teachers and regaining 180 public institutions that have been marginalized and burdened.
Following the weekly State Executive Council meeting, Mr. Okey Kanu, the Commissioner for Information for Abia State, made this news at a press briefing held at Government House, Umuahia.
As part of the continuing education sector reforms, 12,000 instructors from around the state will receive rigorous training over the summer to prepare for the new-look schools, which will open in September 2024.
Governor Otti has appointed the following individuals to a special committee tasked with managing the rehabilitation of these public schools:
Chairman: Caleb Ajagba, Chief of Staff
Secretary: Prof. Eme Uche-Eme, Commissioner for Education
Other committee members
- Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice, Mr. Ikechukwu Uwana
- Commissioner of Lands and Housing, Mr. Chaka Chukwumerije
- Commissioner of Chieftaincy and Local Government, Prince Uzo Nwachukwu
- General Manager of Umuahia Capital Development Authority (UCDA), Mr. Kingsley Agomuoh
- Mr. Uche Ukeje, General Manager of Greater Aba Development Agency (GADA), and Mr. Ken Nwosu, Chief Security Officer to the Governor.Â
Finding and recovering about 180 alienated and burdened public schools in Abia State is the committee’s main goal. This endeavor is a component of a larger campaign to end the privileged few’s theft of school property and guarantee that all school assets are utilized only for instructional reasons.
In addition, the council consists of consultants who have worked with the education commissioner to redesign school curricula after conducting a thorough diagnostic evaluation of Abia State’s educational system.
The Abia State Government has denounced the misapplication of schools that have been turned over to different missions and organizations, stressing that these establishments should only be utilized for instructional purposes. It is suggested that organizations that are unable to run these schools effectively turn them back to the government.
What to note
The Abia State administration has hired top-notch consultants to spearhead reforms in the education sector as part of its effort to change the educational landscape. To make sure that the industry propels development, a high-level meeting was arranged with the governments of Poland and Bulgaria, both of which showed interest in the state’s educational programs.
Students from closed private schools are being relocated by the state Ministry of Education so they can finish their education. The state’s JAMB CBT centres are being reopened; ten of them have already done so, and more are scheduled to open in the first part of 2019.Â
Along with facility improvements and the hiring of new faculty, Abia State University Teaching Hospital (ABSUTH) is now accredited.
The Abia State Government closed 197 private schools in November 2023 due to their inability to satisfy the necessary minimal requirements.
