•Governor Alex Otti of Abia State
Abia State Government has given reasons on why it wants to employ 2,500 teachers for the primary and post primary schools in the state.
According to Dr Alex Otti, governor of the state, the massive recruitment will beef up the existing teachers population and enhance the ongoing package to prioritize quality education in the state, reports Daily Independent.
The State Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu who dropped this hint at the Government House Umuahia while briefing the press on the outcome of this week’s State Executive Council meeting, informed that the recruitment will soon begin, adding that it is also aimed at filling vacancies already existing in the school system.
The Abia Information Commissioner said, “The state government has also concluded plans for massive employment of teachers in the state for both primary and secondary schools. This of course is another pointer to how important this sector is to the governor”.
He also disclosed that the government has commenced the full implementation of the out of school children policy, saying that school marshals have been appointed to work with the harmonised taskforce in the state to achieve the objective of government in that regard.
The commissioner argued that having commenced compulsory free education for pupils and students of basic education, there was need to ensure the out-of-school children policy is made effective.
He used the opportunity to also announce that the Abia state government has introduced mathematics clinics for students in examination classes of JSS 3 and SS3, adding that the exercise will hold Tuesday and Thursday of every week between the hours of 7-7:45.00 am.
The programme, he informed, is being introduced in order to fully realize its new policy called Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
“The Abia State Ministry of Basic Education has fully commenced with the enforcement of Out of School Children Policy initiative with the appointment of Education Marshalls.
“Also to strengthen its programme for our schools the state government has introduced a Mathematics Clinic that would run from Tuesdays through Thursdays to enhance the teaching of Mathematics.
“Mathematics we know is very basic to the realisation of the STEM subjects. STEM subjects involve Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics and Mathematics is the bedrock for the development of science and technology, ” Prince Kanu maintained.
In his comment, the Commissioner for Basic Education, Elder Goodluck Ubochi stressed the need for quality education and explained that it cannot be achieved without teachers.
“There is no way we can talk about quality education without teachers. In our schools we don’t have sufficient number of teachers to handle most of the subjects.
“Before now, there have been speculations all over the place about employment of teachers. It is now, within the week we are going to make public the modalities.
“It is not going to be a process where you bring your application to the ministry or to whoever. We are going to have a platform where we do it online’, he opined.
According to Ubochi, enforcement of the free and compulsory basic education policy of the state government is essential as education is pertinent to Dr. Alex Otti-led administration.
“To make this work, the ministry established what we called ‘Education Marshalls’. They will work like taskforce but not in the same modality.
“The essence of setting up this group is to move around during school hours, any child that is of school age seen around will be picked up, not to be beaten or embarrassed but be taken to the school nearest to him or her.
“But before he or she is taken to the school, we will use the child to locate the parents or guardians or whoever has been keeping the child and we will be able to find out why he is holding back the child from going to school,” Ubochi clarified.
The Abia education commissioner equally explained that the reason for the STEM education programme is that government wants to build confidence of the external examination or certificate class students of JSS 3 and SS 3.
He revealed that they would be resuming classes from 7,00 am before the normal school period commences and that they would be learning Mathematics from seasoned teachers in the morning and extension of closure time from 2pm to 4pm for other science subjects such as Biology, Physics, Chemistry and English.
The Commissioner for Health, Prof. Enoch Ogbonnaya Uche, Commissioner for Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Prof. Joel Ogbonna, Special Adviser to Governor on Media and Publicity, Mr. Ferdinand Ekeoma and Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Chief Ukoha Njoku Ukoha were present at the briefing.
