Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
Governor Alex Otti of Abia State, has launched the Abia Fostering Innovation Reform School Transformation (AbiaFIRST) aimed at improving the quality of education in the state.
Speaking during the launch Wednesday at the International Conference centre, Umuahia, Governor Alex Otti said that AbiaFIRST is a central plan for a transformational governance initiative for the rapid socioeconomic development of the state.
Otti said that the programme was focused on strategic initiatives aimed at transforming the education sector in the state through sustained investments in education.
He said: “AbiaFIRST Transformation Education programme is focused on strategic initiatives aimed at transforming the education sector in the state through sustained investments in development of school infrastructure, training and retraining of teachers on new trends, recruitment of quality teachers to cater for the rise in enrollment figures.”
The Governor vowed to lead the change in the qualitative education delivery assuring that the government would no longer be playing second fiddle with the education sector.
“Abia State Government has re-taken the initiative to lead the charge in qualitative education of our young people through our multi-level learning institutions.
“Never again will the government play second fiddle with the education sector as we shall lead from the front in terms of investments in infrastructure, recruitment of the best to teach and educate our children and personnel renumeration,” Gov. Otti stated.
Otti who commended the efforts of the state Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education in achieving his vision in education, said that education was at the centre of his development agenda.
He emphasised that the state development framework is founded on the transformative power of education and assured that he would spare nothing at promoting education.
“Abia Government shall spare nothing to prepare the Abia child for the emerging new age.
“Investing in education as we have learnt from the development strides of other nations is no longer optional but a consistently general outlay that has become a prerequisite for the achievement of the aspirations of any society,” Gov. Otti stated.
Presenting his address, the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education Elder Goodluck Ubochi said that the AbiaFIRST was not just about improving individual schools but a complete institutional reform that would transform education in Abia State.
He identified the key components of the programme as digital learning platforms, wholesome curriculum framework, teacher professional development, technical and vocational education, monitoring and evaluation system and science technical engineering, art and mathematics (STEAM) and called on all stakeholders to cooperate with the government in that regard.
In her remarks, the Team Lead of the Education Reform and Innovation Team (ERIT), Mrs. Abolaji Osimen, noted that the ERIT team, which consists of 180 professionals specialising in areas such as Educational Technology and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), has been engaging with the present administration since 2023.
She said that their goal is to foster digital proficiency among young learners and to collaboratively address the challenges facing Nigeria’s education sector and appreciated Governor Otti for his commitment in educational development.
“That’s why we are grateful to our governor for doing what he is doing. Based on recent statistics we have 40 million students in schools in Nigeria, 80% of them are in public schools.
“We are here to Partner with Abia; we must have to act. So, our transformation strategy which we will be showing you is on 5 key pillars: learning outcomes, future – ready workforce, learning environment transformation, teacher excellence and strategic investments.
“We must either address our learning crises now or risk creating the future with an under skilled population. Our choice today will determine whether Nigeria emerges as a dynamic economy with a highly skilled workforce or faces the challenge of wide spread unemployment, increased crime, and economic stagnation,” Osime stressed.
In their goodwill messages, development partners, including UNESCO representative Mr. Adeyemi Oladeji, World Bank Senior Education Specialist Dr. Tunde Adekola, and a representative of the British Council Office in Abuja, Mr. Daniel Fwanshishak, congratulated the Governor on his efforts to revitalise the education sector.
They also reaffirmed their commitment to supporting and partnering with the state government through capacity-building initiatives to enhance educational development.
