By Ogenyi Ogenyi, Uyo
A Civil Society Organisation, Open Forum, has called on Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom to disband the investigative panel into the feeding crisis in boarding houses set up recently by the state ministry of information.
It has also called on the governor to investigate allegations of corruption in the state secondary education board involving principals charged over N1.3m to influence postings to choice schools.
Founder of the organisation, Mr Mathew Okono told a press conference in Uyo yesterday that the state ministry of education also involved in the corruption saga was not supposed to be a “judge in its own case”.
Okono recommended an independent panel to investigate the myriad cases of maladministration and rot on the education sector for proper and fair diagnosis and effective solution.
“Open Forum hereby appeals to His Excellency, Gov Umo Eno to disband the “investigative panel.” The crisis in the education sector is not an isolated case, but widespread.
The suspension of the Principal of Presbyterian Senior Science School, Dr. Nse Sunday Umoh and consequent setting up of a 15-Member investigative panel earlier headed by herself, and later replaced with Mr Ekanabasi Ubong with members comprising ONLY representatives in the education sector is damage control and medicine after death.
“No one should be a judge in his own case. A better administered and supervised school system would not have brought the huge embarrassment to the people of Akwa Ibom State.
“It is instructive to note that a permanent solution on how to transform the education sector in the state had been documented and handed over to the state government since 2020 under the administration of former Gov Udom Emmanuel.
“If at all a committee is needed to find out why such a heartbreaking meal, unfit for even dogs was served students of Presbyterian Senior Science School, (PSSSI), Ididep, it should be done by an independent body.
“The panel should also be mandated to investigate the allegations of corruption involving principals and the state secondary education board to influence postings to choice schools in the state. This allegation has been captured in a widely circulated article on social media by a journalist, Mr Etim Etim who in his article titled; “Presbyterian Senior Science College, Ididep: There’s more to the story.” He explained.
It would be recalled that Etim had fingered the board in the rot in the secondary education system.
“I have since spoken to some teachers and principals of public schools in the state and their stories are revealing. The main source of the problem in our boarding schools, according to them, is that would-be principals are made to pay huge of money as inducements to the Chairman and members of the State Secondary Education Board before they are given the job; and after they’ve gotten the job, they continue to pay money regularly to the Board members as “contribution”…
Okono said investigation revealed that, “each candidate for principal position could pay as high as between N1.3 million and N1.5 million before he/she secures the job.” adding that ignoring such weighty allegations woukd further create and or widen the trust deficit in the integrity of the government.
He said the only solution to address the crisis in the education sector in the state remained tr implementation of the Akwa Ibom Strategic Education Roadmap (AKSER) 2020 – 2030 which was produced during the Udom Emmanuel administration through the efforts of an 18-member Education Think-Tank headed by Prof. Hilary Inyang.
“The education masterplan was received and adopted by the then Udom Emmanuel administration and a state of emergency was declared in the education sector, though with just the initial intervention in recruitment of teachers and fencing of some schools, majorly within the state capital.
“It’s wholistic implementation by the Umo Eno administration will address the decay in the education sector typified by the embarrassing food served boarding students of Presbyterian Senior Science School, Ididep and most likely in the 25 other boarding schools in the state.
“In the pursuit of the attainment of the Golden Era, and in the absence of any superior policy document to AKSER 2020 – 2030 His Excellency should call for full briefing by the leadership of the think-tank as it is doubtful if anyone in the ministry of education or government government generally has the capacity to break down the details of the seventeen (17) initiatives contained in the 436-page masterplan for His Excellency to appreciate its inherent huge potential and benefit to our state and country as a whole.
“It is regrettable that despite the huge sacrifices made by Prof Hilary Inyang and others to help the state in putting up the education roadmap, the Akwa Ibom State Government has not honoured her financial obligations to the technical team that facilitated the project.
“As a sign of goodwill and appreciation of selfless service to the state by the globally respected scientist and educator and others who mad-up the Think-Tank, we appeal to His Excellency, Pst. Dr. Umo Eno to direct the payment of the outstanding amount of N11 million to Prof Inyang as well as fund the implementation of the Phase 2 which will enable the state to maximise the benefits of the masterplan.” He concluded
