Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
Abia State Government has announced that it would construction 20 smart schools across the state.
Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, who made the announcement during a press briefing on the outcome of this week’s Executive Council meeting in Umuahia, said at least, one smart school would be sited in each of the 17 Local Government Areas in the state.
By this development, Abia has joined Enugu State on the list of states building smart schools.
The landmark project, according to him, is in pursuit of Governor Alex Otti’s vision to made education a strong pilar of development in the state.
Kanu said there was no going back to the State Government’s free and compulsory education policy from primary to Junior Secondary 3 which will commence by January 2025.
He said: “Nothing less than full implementation of the policy is required to ensure there is no out of school children in the state.”
Speaking further, the Commissioner said Abia had been declared monkey pox free as well as chicken pox and diphtheria.
He said that the Centre for Disease Control, had confirmed that Abia had no case of COVID-19 variant.
The Commissioner hinted that the Governor would present the 2025 appropriation budget to the State House of Assembly on Tuesday.
“This is in keeping with the Abia fiscal responsibility and economic development,” he added.
Providing further insight on the proposed smart schools, Commissioner for Basic Education, Dr Goodluck Ubochi, said they would have interactive boards, internet services and other features of smart schools.
He explained that the smart schools would be selected from existing schools in the state and upgraded, adding that more teachers will be employed to deliver the required quality of education at the schools.
According to him, by the time the smart schools come on board, private schools in the state will begin to lose their student population.
Contributing, Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Mr Ferdinand Ekeoma, regretted that some private schools in the state are substandard.
Ekeoma said that the decision of Government to introduce discriminatory welfare package for teachers in the rural communities, and the re-training of teachers, were all geared towards improving the quality of education in public schools.
He said Government would not compel people to withdraw their children and wards from private schools but the quality of education and infrastructural development in public schools would make them more attractive
