Amaechi wants APC states to focus on world-class education as a legacy

Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, governor, Rivers State, now a prominent leader in the All Progressives Congress (APC), has urged the states controlled by the party to leave one strong legacy; a world-class education system.

Such brand of education which is already being showcased in Rivers State has international standard nursery, primary and secondary schools with e-libraries, boarding for all secondary students, houses for all teachers, good playing fields, the best laboratories, well-trained teachers, etc. Some of the secondary schools are built at the cost of N4.5billion, before equipping, while the schools are managed by expatriates, all under free education.

Amaechi spoke through the Secretary to the State Government, George Feyii, during a two-day workshop tagged, “Crisis in Nigerian Education Sector: Addressing the Connect between Unemployment and Insecurity,” organised by the Progressives Governors’ Forum in Port Harcourt.

The governor insisted that education should be restored to its former glory to move the country forward.

He said: “It behoves on us as people to chart the course to bring back the good old days and restoring the educational system to what it used to be. Good policies and programmes will help us to move education forward in this country. A lot of us think that the present generation is not getting the best of education. So we need to look at the specifics areas to achieve the main goal.”

The workshop, which is sequel to the one held in Kano in May 2014, was aimed at evolving a unified policy framework for APC states all through the country.

Amaechi held that the government in Rivers State was already giving education premium attention noting that the goal was to ensure that society grows peacefully. “You are aware that once a person is educated he can do a lot of things for himself. And this is very important to us because with education a person can achieve what he wants to achieve in life.”

Chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum (PGF) and governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, represented by his deputy, Eze Madumere, said the workshop formed part of the vision of the APC to transform the country’s education sector.

Okorocha said: “All the commissioners are here today to look at those issues that will better the system that we already have. When the people are not educated, when the people are not empowered, what do you get? Insecurity will kick-in. Young men and women who are graduates today, who are probably not educated or gainfully employed and you have all these social vices that are kicking-in.”

Earlier, Director-General of the PGF, Salihu-Lukman, disclosed that the workshops were part of goals set out by the secretariat with focus on education, unemployment and health, to evolve a marshal plan that would be adopted by APC States, since all the reports would be translated to policy briefs for the governors.

Rivers State Commissioner for Education, Alice Nemi, in her remarks, said the state had evolved a new education policy guarded by the law which could only be reviewed every 10 years.

Aside the new curriculum, Nemi stated that the government has employed 13,201 teachers to boost manpower, built over 300 model Primary Schools equipped with ICT and modern equipment. She pointed out that in the future Rivers State would reap huge benefits from the investments in the sector.

About 13 Commissioners for Education from APC States attended the workshop where various experts spoke on diverse topics bordering on educational programmes and policies.

Ignatius Chukwu