The Abia Retired Teachers (ART) Forum has made suggestions on how to make government primary and secondary schools in the state topnotch and the best among the rest in the country.
The Forum in a meeting with Governor Alex Otti appreciated the Governor’s wisdom and foresight to separate Basic Education from Tertiary Education through the creation of a special ministry for the basic education, stressing that basic education is being grossly abused with zero attention.
Marshalling out their points during the meeting in Umuahia, the ART Forum told Otti who was represented by his Commissioner for Basic Education, Mr Goodluck Ubochi, that introduction of One Child-One-Skill Policy; Introduction of Practical Agriculture; and Restoration of Teachers Quarters within Primary and Secondary Schools will go a long way in restoring lost glories of basic education in the State.
The ART Forum told Otti that education without application of what is learnt is useless, stressing that Nigeria is in an era of massive unemployment and there is absolutely no way that government and education stakeholders can sit idly by and watch children conclude their 6+6(12) years of primary and secondary schools without a single skill.
Explaining the operational method of the policy, ART Forum said that with the One Child-One-Skill Policy, Abia Primary and Secondary Schools curriculums must change to accommodate sort out skills in the Nigerian society and beyond.
“It must not be stagnant, but very flexible and open to review and update every nine years to introduce a new one or update and upgrade the existing one.
“This skill acquisition system must not be treated with kid gloves. It should be a part of daily learning in class with specific practicals done at the necessary workshops meant for such skills where our children will easily access necessary machines/tools related to their choice of skills.
“Parents are free to make choices of the skills they want for their children which must be registered in their details in school. They’ll pursue these skills, perfect them and become experts through constant practicals which will led to productive competition followed by awards and rewards for the most skillful.”
ART Forum said that skills such as Fashion & Designing, Beauty & Make Up Artist, Hairdressing & Barbing Saloon, Interior Decoration, CCTV/Cable TV Installation, Solar Installation, Professional Photography & Video Editing, Drone Flying/ Media Vloging,
Leather Works (Shoe, Bag & Belt Making), Web Designing, Food & Pastries and Graphics Designing can serve as pilot skills for the kick-off of the policy.
According to ART Forum, the above skills are available and can be assigned and registered in every public primary and secondary school in Abia State to help restore the lost glorious days of our government owned schools.
“Note that any child who fails practical examination in any skill work is bound to repeat it until when properly mastered before he or she can be certified as skillfully qualified.
“Hence, a child can be academically certified without skillfully qualified. Therefore, the skill acquisition is beyond academic exercise but a means of survival even without going further to the universities.
“It’s necessary to state that in the primary schools, the skill acquisition classes start from the primary three where their brains are ready to adapt to the system.
It is equally important to note that because of mastering of skills and specialization, whatever skill a child begins with from primary three will be continued till the end of his secondary school (SS3) to aid perfection.”
ART Forum said that practical agriculture in basic education will help children develop the sense of food production and help schools gain status of minor food production and preservation centres.
They explained that no child will be subjected to ancient agriculture system or be allowed to suffer any of such, but will rather be exposed to different practical methods of food production that will help the be productive in their homes and help the society at large.
“They’ll use their available farms to produce, distribute and market agricultural produce like Corns, Cassava (frying garri), producing and selling vegetables, poultry and fishery.
These agricultural production processes will happen with serious perfection, modern equipments to show our kids what food production is all about.
“They shall have cucumber farms, corn farms, cassava farms, modern yam farms etc depending on the available land and shall brand their products to be sold to interested traders.
“These farms shall never know seasonal farming as the school’s borehole water systems will serve as a semi irrigation system with laid down pipes all over the farm lands to encourage constant production to be supervised by employed professionals with the aid of the agriculture teachers in the schools.”
The ART Forum equally explained that restoration of Teachers Quarters has become extremely important because the presence of teachers and their families within the schools will improve security as the environment will no longer be a habitat for destitute and criminals.
They equally suggested that rehabilitation, maintenance and equipping of existing state owned schools; engagement of security agents to secure the life of students and teachers and school property are necessary things that must be done as well.
ART Forum equally urged the state government to intensify efforts in ending examination malpractice, urging the Governor not to be deceived by the excellent NECO-SSCE/WASSCE results of Abia State, as less than 5% of the candidates take the exams by themselves and urged government to abolish advertisment of candidates’ results on radio and TV.
They called for employment of more qualified and willing teachers; especially in mathematics and the sciences, employment of guidance counsellors, banning of admission of students in exam classes: Basic 6, JSS3 and SS3 and introduction of centrally control promotion examinations in the state.
“New schools should admit pupils in Basic1, JSS1, and SS1 for primary, junior secondary and senior secondary schools respectively, launch a reading club for the Abia child with prizes attached, we can help to coordinate this.
“Build libraries, even digital ones, open science/mathematics centres throughout the state, and introduce competitions among the students and equally improved welfare packages for teachers in rural areas.”
ART Forum suggested for a thorough look into the private school system, stressing that age long failure of government to handle public schools has led to the proliferation of uninhabitable places as schools.
“Every roadside trader is free to try his hand at running a private school! What is the lure? The lucrative nature of examination malpractice and the gullibility of Abia parents, of course.
“Therefore, there should be mapping of private schools, to identify and grade the schools according to learning environment, staff strength/qualifications, infrastructure, laboratory equipment etc.”
ART Forum reminded the Governor that its members are suffering from staggered payment of pensions while some retired teachers are yet to receive any pension after years of retirement.
ART Forum told the Governor that Abia State Pension Board is terribly corrupt and has made every retiree a prey to them.
