Ugochukwu Ugoji-Eke, Umuahia
The Abia State Ministry of Education, has organized a one day education stakeholders summit to address some educational issues and the menace of cult activities in the state primary and secondary schools.
The summit also called for a concerted effort for all and sundry to join hands to demand an education that will develop knowledge, creativity, innovations and enterprise, civic and democratic values, skills and abilities as well as the awareness needed for everyday professional life.
The Abia State Governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu represented by his Deputy, Sir Ude Oko Chukwu in his speech at the summit which took place at the Michael Okpara auditorium Umuahia, described the theme of the event as apt and timely, bearing in mind that our society is becoming a violent one with killings, armed robbery, kidnapping, herdsmen, Boko Haram, banditry and rape on the increase and warned any person or groups encouraging such unwholesome behaviour to desist from doing so for a better tomorrow.
The governor also called on parents, care givers, churches, traditional rulers and especially the National Drug Law Enforcement Agencies to help in the fight against peddling and consumption of hard drugs, pointing out that most heinous crimes are committed under the influence of hard drugs.
He expressed confidence that the Summit will come out with meaningful and applicable resolution that will bring to an end or reduce cultism in schools and society.
Ikpeazu reaffirmed his administration’s resolve to maintain the state leading position in WAEC and other external examinations conducted in the country and beyond through the formation and implementation of robust policies that encourages and uplift the standard of education and moral upbringing of the children.
The governor noted that quality education play very important role in the development of any state or nation and decried the infiltration of cultism which he described as a hydra headed monster into our primary and secondary schools.
He stressed the need for a close watch into the moral upbringing of the children at home and the schools to avoid having a state of anarchy in the nearest future.
In his keynote address, the State Commissioner For Education, Dr. Kanelechi Nwangwa acknowledged the role of the present administration in giving education a pride of place through value oriented policies, however blamed cultism in our primary and secondary schools to parents and society who have consistently neglected the National Policy On Education by putting too much pressure on our children and making them go to classes beyond their age and reasoning capacity, giving them the impression that the end justifies the means and other attitudes that does not augur well for the development of a child.
Similarly, the Chairman of the occasion Dr. (Mrs) Kate Ndubuka pointed out that the issue of cultism in our primary and secondary schools should be something of concern to every right thinking person as it potend great danger to the present and future generations and called on all to be alive to the duty of bringing up the children to be morally upright and urged participants to be serious with the summit in order to give back to our children and society.
The third deputy, Abia State traditional rulers council, HRM Eze Godfrey Onwuka drew the attention of the stakeholders to the increase rate of hard drugs ingestion/consumption, which according to him metamorphosis to cultism and opined that a law be put in place, which will define stiffer penalty to the deviants, to serve as a deterrence to others.
