Malcom X once said that Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today. W.B. Yeats, a very powerful poet who wrote one of the world’s un-ageing and undying poem, the “Second Coming”, a metaphysical piece wherein the evergreen Nigerian literary genuis, Professor Chinua Achebe of blessed memory drew the title, “Things Fall Apart” from and asserted wittingly that Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.
His Excellency, Rt Hon. Dr Ifeanyi Lawrence Ugwuanyi, a man who dreams and hungers to leave positive imprints in the sands of time is consciously and steadily reinventing Enugu to education glory. His knack for the best and only the best has pushed him to discover another proven technocrat just like in other sectors to supervise the on going narrative in the educational journey of the state. The visible marks left by Hon. Ikeje Asogwa since his appointment as the Executive Chairman of the Enugu State Universal Basic Education Board (ENSUBEB) in 2017 is a clear testimony that governor Ugwuanyi is that big masquerade in the arena.
Again, emphasis must be made that Ugwuanyi is a man determined to take his society to the epic center of glory via his interventions in virtually all sectors of the socio-political and economic development. We are talking about education today and I’d like to challenge whoever can attest to the fact that Enugu state have had it so good before the critical intervention of Gov. Ugwuanyi to revamp it for interesting values to come forward.
Enugu State Universal Basic Education Board under the able watch of Hon. Ikeje Asogwa has created an enabling learning environment for all children in public schools by ensuring that learning by students and pupils are enjoyed in an ambient atmosphere.
The recruitment of qualified teaching personnels have further ensured that pupils and students in public schools can compete favorably with their counterparts elsewhere in the world. The provision and availability of the state of the art learning facilities to meet the teaching needs of the teachers on one hand and the learning needs of the children on the other as well as the promotion of an adaptive curriculum to meet learning needs of children is a big plus for ENSUBEB.
Available statistics have recorded that ESUBEB under Chief Asogwa within the last five years have constructed and rehabilitated over 1,034 classroom blocks across the 17 local government areas of the state. A massive overhaul of the school’s infrastructural developments; the training and the retraining of its work force; the practical provision of technological facilities for easy teaching and learning, etc. In the height of the excruciating economic challenges in the land, Gov. Ugwuanyi has never denied both the teaching and non-teaching personnel in all public schools in Enugu state their dues and incentives as at when due. What a people driven governor! Other critical interventions by ENSUBEB under Hon. Asogwa is the provision of relevant work materials for teachers, exercise and text books for pupils and students which are made available free of charge for the children.
The good people of Enugu, we are blessed with a Governor who does not just believe that education is the filling of a pail, but the ignition (lighting) of a fire in the present and future generations as propagated by W.B. Yeats, but one who is passionate about the future of his society. Governor Ugwuanyi and his team of workaholics great minds do not just invest in our Enugu of today but, tomorrow, hence, the prioritization of education which is the ticket for a brighter future as implied by Malcom X. An investment in knowledge pays the best interest, according to Benjamin Franklin. Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Kofi Annan in an attempt to emphasize the importance of education averred that education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family.
John Dewey also opined that education is not preparation for life rather education is life itself. Governor Ugwuanyi’s intervention in education sector has enhanced life in Enugu. Because, a child that is well taught in a learning friendly environment can rarely join cultism nor take part in criminal activities. Education is the moulding of an individual into acquiring a sound mind. Education is the nurturing ground for all citizen into becoming useful assets for the growth of the society.
Enugu State is in the hands of God.
BIBIAN ANEKWE NEWS… ADDED…The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.
Written by :
Izuchukwu Ochenwari Udenwaeze
(A Social and Political Analyst)
Media Team Member: Enugu di n’akachukwu movement
