As Akwa Ibom State rolled out the drums and red carpet to celebrate 38th anniversary of statehood, principals in public secondary schools, under the aegis of All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary schools has called on Gov Eno to provide more security in rural schools to guard against vandalization of critical infrastructure.
Speaking on behalf of the association, the Akwa Ibom State Chapter chairman, Steve Akpabio, while fielding questions from journalists in his office to celebrate the governor on what he described as scintillating performance, especially in education sector, made the call saying, “it is the first time any governor has given education its rightful place in the state.”
Akpabio who doubles as Principal of Christian Secondary school, Uyo, therefore congratulated Governor Umo Eno and by extension all Akwa ibomites on attainment of the 38th years of state creation with the view that the school system has faired better under Governor Eno than before his advent.
He therefore warned against putting useful and invaluable assets in any of the schools in the rural areas without adequate security machinery to ward off the criminal elements, even as he commended the governor for ongoing building of model primary schools in each of the 31 local government areas, believing that in no distant time that of secondary schools will start on senatorial district basis
He decried explosion of student population in the urban centers, especially in Uyo and called on the governor to take advantage of some available land along Udo Udoma Avenue to build modest secondary schools to decongest the population in schools like Aka offot community secondary school, Uyo High school and Christian Secondary school, Uyo, to mention just but three.
Commending Governor Umo Eno for approving employment of One thousand teachers, among the three thousand new employees to be recruited, to boost the teachers strength in the two hundred and seventy public secondary schools and nine technical colleges, he said there is still need for employment of more teachers in the core subject areas of Mathematics, English language and Sciences and Humanity, especially in the rural areas.
In the area of funding, he lauded the state chief executive for clearing the payment of subvention to both secondary and primary school heads, including wardrobe allowance which non of the previous governments had paid. According to him, the governor should go a step further to build smart classroom, resource centers established in selected schools to prepare them for CTB examination and encourage digital learning to keep them apar with global counterparts.
“Teachers in Akwa Ibom State are fairing better and we are fully determined to put in our best in other to reciprocate the gesture.
“Teachers have important role to play in the life of the children to mole them to become important citizens tomorrow and to interprete the E which stands for education in the ARISE agenda” he said.
Akpabio who has been calling the shot as number one principal in Akwa lbom state ANCOPSS with less than four months shy from his handing over to successor, peeped into his stewardship profile and said he has done the best he could and the teachers are happy for it. So he is handing over without regret.
He threw his weight behind the State Ministry of education for clamping down on illegal schools, saying that any school that has not received Authority To Operate (ATO) from the ministry should not be allowed to operate, if we must train children who will continue with a good legacy.
“Education is a professional calling. Just as medicine is taken seriously to prevent death of patients, education should be accorded the same priority to avert social casualty by producing half baked graduates through a system with faulty foundation.
So I support the clampdown in every sense of the word.”
