Governor Rochas: Declare State Of Emergency in State Public Schools
Written by Nwaorgu Faustinus
Though the 2011general elections in Imo state have come and gone, with particular reference to the governorship polls where the people’s candidate, Rochas Okorocha defeated the incumbent governor, Chief Ikedi Ohakim who did not leave any stone unturned in opening his frightful financial political muscle in order to perpetuate himself in office, which of course did fail. What is the trend now are the comments, analyses, advice, suggestions, opinions and articles against and for the legality behind the dissolution of the 27 LGAs by the new administration in Imo State.
Now that the parties involved (the state government and the dissolved Council LGAs) are locked in a legal battle over the dissolution of the Council Areas, which is the constitutional thing to do, one can not forget in a hurry the first casualties of Oweelle Rochas’s action as he assumed office which political analysts and observers say will ever remain indelible in the minds of many. The court having taken over the case, there should be cessation of comments because a case or dispute as the above is not trashed out on pages of newspapers or internet based media sites but in a competent court of law.
The kernel of this piece is the challenges or Herculean tasks that stare the state government in the face with respect to the education sector, which are multifaceted given the lean resources at its prudent use. One major area Chief Rochas Okorocha must take proactive step to revolutionalize is the education sector among other sectors. The importance of education is so invaluable that any state, society country or nation cannot toy with it. Education without mincing words is enlightenment and avenue of advancement which ought to be sustained for generation as according to Sunday Atomode, “it is a legacy which when bestowed cannot be withdrawn on any account except perhaps through inhuman degradation of brainwashing or disease that cause memory lost”. Therefore, education remains the upholder of the expectation, hope and yearnings for the poorest of the poor of society.
Without doubt, it is the eternal bequest any society, government, administration or nation can give its citizen or natives. It is therefore a commendable first step taken by the governor when he announced that his government will give free education to primary and secondary school students as well as review downwards school fees paid in higher institutions as part of his party’s campaign promise and education policy.
To achieve its education policy, the security votes of the Governor, Deputy Governor, the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, the Chief Judge and House Members was cut from 6.5 billion naira to 2.5 billion naira. Given the premium the governor attaches to education, unlike previous administrations, he toured many several primary and secondary schools to have first hand information about the state of affairs in the educational institutions which are in great pathetic situation, capable of making one sigh, sad and wonder why the schools are the way they are.
Given the deplorable state of most public primary and secondary schools in Imo State, one wonders if the free education policy of the current administration is a way of declaring a state of emergency in that sector. If it is not, a total war should be unleashed in the sector bearing in mind the mammoth decay in our citadels of learning across the various Local Government Areas. A visit to most schools will reveal great decay in infrastructure such as school buildings, libraries, classrooms, toilets, laboratories among others. Amala/Ntu Secondary School in Ngor/Okpala LGA can be used as a good reference point of a school that has witnessed infrastructural decay and neglect by previous administration on one hand and vandalization at the other. Apart from these, there is depopulation of staff and students’ population in many rural primary and secondary schools, inadequate teaching materials and seats. In the time past, it was a tradition or policy of the government to equip schools with seats but today most students, if not all go to market to purchase seats they use in school.
In addition to free education given to primary and secondary school students, the present administration should as a matter of urgency renovate and build new structures that will accommodate new students, poor students who dropped out of school and students who will leave private schools soon for public schools as a result of the introduction of free education in the state. Similarly, old or non functional principal and teachers quarters should be renovated and new ones built to accommodate some categories of teachers. Furthermore, the governor should put a programme of action in place with a view to making it compulsory for teachers to live in the school environment in order to monitor the behaviour of students apart from being available to assist them solve academic problems that are related to subjects they teach. Their salary should be paid as at when due and promotion extended to deserving ones to encourage them put in their best.
On the issue of limited number of staff in some primary and secondary schools, the state government should deploy more teachers to schools where their services are needed as there are schools that lack teachers who will teach certain subjects. Lateness to school should not be tolerated as there should be mechanism put in place to monitor teachers. In this regard, unscheduled visits should be paid to schools where the culture of late coming has been established with a view to punishing culprits to serve as a deterrent to others. If need be, teachers who are perpetual late comers should be dismissed. Students who come to school late should also be punished adequately to discourage others from doing the same.
Security in and around state public schools especially primary and secondary schools should be encouraged by way of providing security guards for the schools to protect life and property. Apart from security, the state government should equip libraries, introductory technology workshops, science laboratories among others in state public schools. It is now the trend to set up computer laboratories to encourage the teaching of computer in primary and secondary schools. The state government should key into this by establishing computer laboratory in the schools.
There should be training and retraining of teachers so as to gain effective means of imparting knowledge into the students. This will go along way in making the students to compete favourably with their counterparts abroad.
Finally, the state government if need be, should borrow a leaf from the education policy of Rivers State government if the words of Mr. Abdulwaheed Omar, President of Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) is any thing to go by. According to him, "As a professional teacher I can testify that the new schools built by the administration are a reflection of focused leadership. As a teacher I am highly impressed with this kind of school facilities provided by the Rivers State Government for its children."
It could be recalled that governor Amaechi declared state of emergency in the education sector when he assumed the administration of Rivers State. Today, he has given a facelift to the sector.
Nwao(r)gu, Faustinus Chilee writes from Igboetche, Port Harcourt, Rivers State. Mobile: +2348035601312. Email:ngorokpalaresearcher@yahoo.com