ABSG aims at training 2000 school’s master trainers. Emelam Udo, Umuahia

As part of the state government’s reformation agenda in the educational system, Abia State Government (ABSG) has said its aims to train no few than 2000 master trainers for teachers in the state.

Okay Kanu, the Commissioner for Information, disclosed this while briefing the press in Government House on the outcome of this week’s executive council meeting presided over by Governor Alex Otti.

He hinted that already 200 teachers had undergone through the training while the remaining 1,800 would have theirs soon, adding that schools in the state would reopen on 16th September, 2024.
He said the Abia State Basic Education Board, ASUBEB had screened, interviewed and shortlisted 40 teachers for training under the Abia State School Enhancement Team Programme, a quality assurance initiative , preparatory for the resumption of schools in the state.

Kanu further disclosed that the posting of security personnel to public schools in the state had begun, a measure he said was aimed at safeguarding lives and property in the schools.

“This is part of the wider agenda of the state government to reform our education system.

“Also as part of the ongoing reform agenda in the educational system, the promise that the state government has made in the past has come to fulfilment with the posting of security personnel to our schools.

“Posting security personnel is aimed at securing the lives and property of both the students, teachers and the property of the schools involved” he stated.

The Information boss further hinted that a total of 5,746 ASUBEB staff have been earmarked for promotion noting that it was a way of motivating the staff for greater productivity.
According to him, under the Abia State School Enhancement Team programme , the board had screened 40 persons to ensure quality assurance and compliance to schools’ guidelines.

He also disclosed that a panel of experts have been constituted to midwife the upgrading of the eight (8) Schools of Nursing in the state into a College of Nursing Sciences . adding that the eight Nursing schools would be merged with one as the main campus for the emergent college of Nursing Sciences

“This move is aimed at enhancing the qualification and production of top grade nurses in the state” Kanu noted.

Kenechukwu Nwosu, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Education, in his contribution stated that the state was mapping out all the schools in line with the security needs assessment of the schools and also considering fencing the schools in the state

“We know that our schools have long issues of vandalism hence, the AVS (Abia Vigilante Services) is being deployed to the schools. It is not only in Umuahia. In this first phase, we are also expanding to Aba and to other parts of the state as the Abia Vigilante Services continues to build required capacity.

Lydia Onuoha, Chairman, Abia State Universal Basic Education (ASUBEB) , in remarks said the government had properly selected those teachers that would benefit from the planned trainings, adding that they have divided centres for the trainings into five after selecting participants from across the 17 LGAs of the state.

She further explained that the Abia State School Enhancement Team would be the eye of the government in the schools to ensure adequate compliance to the plans of government in the schools.