Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti has launched the Abia Fostering Innovation Reform School Transformation (AbiaFIRST) aimed at providing intentional quality education.
Governor Otti while performing the ceremony at the International Conference centre Umuahia, said that AbiaFIRST is a central plan for a transformational governance initiative for the rapid socioeconomic development of the state.
The Governor disclosed that the programme is focused on strategic initiatives aimed at transforming the education sector in the state through sustained investments in education.
He stated that the initiative will bring about sustained investments in development of school infrastructure, training and retraining of teachers on new trends, recruitment of quality teachers to cater for the rise in the progressive enrollment figures of students and pupils in public schools.
The State Chief Executive vowed to lead the change in qualitative education delivery, assuring that the government would no longer be playing second fiddle with the education sector.
Governor Otti, who appreciated the efforts of the state Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education in achieving his vision in education, said that education is at the centre of his development agenda and emphasised that the state development framework is founded on the transformative power of education.
Presenting his address, the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Elder Goodluck Ubochi, said that the AbiaFIRST is not just about improving individual schools but a complete institutional reform that would transform education in the State at large.
He disclosed that the key to the transformation in education is the innovative solutions the government is introducing which include digital learning platforms, wholesome curriculum framework, teacher professional development, technical and vocational education, monitoring and evaluation system and science technical engineering, art and mathematics (STEAM) and called on all stakeholders to cooperate with the government in that regard.
In her remarks, the Team Lead of the Education Reform and Innovation Team (ERIT), Mrs. Abolaji Osimen, noted that the ERIT team, which consists of 180 professionals who specialized in areas such as Educational Technology, Technical and Vocational Education, and Training (TVET), has been engaging with the present administration since 2023.
She said that their goal is to foster digital proficiency among young learners and to collaboratively address the challenges facing Nigeria’s education sector, and appreciated Governor Otti for his commitment in educational development.
In their goodwill messages, the development partners, including UNESCO representative, Mr. Adeyemi Oladeji, World Bank Senior Education Specialist, Dr. Tunde Adekola, and a representative of the British Council Office in Abuja, Mr. Daniel Fwanshishak, congratulated the Governor on his efforts to revitalize the education sector and reaffirmed their commitment to supporting and partnering the state government through capacity-building initiatives to enhance educational development.
The Deputy Speaker Abia House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Augustine Okezie, the SSG, Professor Kenneth Kalu, the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Pastor Caleb Ajagba, host of other government functionaries and stakeholders in the education sector graced the event.
