It’s already five weeks into the first term of the 12 week academic calendar for schools in Cross River State.
Kudos to the Cross River State Ministry of Education for ensuring uniformity in the academic calendar and for introducing new education policy reforms for both public and private primary and secondary schools. These policies, if properly supervised and implemented, could go a long way in salvaging the future of education in the state and address some irregularities that have long plagued the sector.
Indeed, these new reforms, as approved by the state government, stand out as part of the few lifelines capable of drawing out the drowning Cross River child from the ills and nonessential operations that have bastardized the system for years.
Education is key, and how learning takes place matters greatly. When we neglect this, we create a nightmare that will haunt not just us, but the future of our dear state.
Take for instance, the alleged case of Master Ogbeche, a junior secondary school student of Ugboro Secondary School in Bekwarra Local Government Area, who reportedly hacked one Mr. Oshen, a 23-year-old man, to death while the latter tried to separate a fight between Ogbeche and another student. Reports also alleged that the young student had, on several occasions, engaged in fights using a machete as a weapon.
This is a student allegedly involved in such a violent act while wearing a school uniform. Unfortunately, Ogbeche’s case is not an isolated one.
In February 2021, a 17 year old SS2 student of Government Secondary School, Ikot Ewa, in Akpabuyo Local Government Area, Miss Promise Idorenyin, was paraded by the then Cross River State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Sikiru Kayode Akande, alongside her alleged 38-year-old boyfriend for illegal possession of firearms. Reports indicated that Promise allegedly took a locally made double-barrel pistol to school with the intention of shooting a teacher who insisted she cut her coloured hairdo.
These disturbing stories reflect the deep seated rot oozing from a system meant to reform character and impart knowledge. When such ills emerge, the blame game begins because no one wants to take responsibility.
It is sad that most public school facilities across the 18 local government areas of Cross River State remain in a deplorable state. Many are housed in dilapidated buildings battered by storms and neglect. In several communities, pupils and students have no chairs to sit on. Teaching under such conditions is extremely difficult, worsened by the lack of teaching aids, textbooks, laboratories, libraries, and sometimes, incompetent teachers in critical subjects.
These deficiencies have opened the door for the proliferation of “mushroom” private schools across the state, institutions driven more by profit and prestige than the passion to transform young minds and build a better society.
Sadly, many of our political leaders have their children in these private schools. The question then arises: What happens to public schools? Who destroyed them? And whose children are left to attend them?
The Cross River State Government must urgently prioritize the education sector in this “Season of Sweetness,” particularly in rehabilitating public school facilities and employing competent teachers to strengthen and safeguard the future of our children, especially those from poor homes who cannot afford private education.
The Ministry of Education and the commissioner Senator Stephen Odey must also ensure that these new policies do not end up as mere documents on paper. There must be honest and consistent monitoring to eliminate irregularities and arbitrary rules imposed by some school authorities, which continue to allow water into the ship, causing a shipwreck drowning the future of young Cross Riverians.
School proprietors and teachers must also play their part. Teachers’ welfare deserves priority attention, including prompt payment of salaries and improved working conditions. The ministry should also investigate how teachers are treated by school authorities, particularly concerning remunerations and general welfare.
Parents too, must be actively involved in their children’s education not just financially but emotionally and mentally. Too many parents have abandoned their roles to teachers, paying little or no attention to their children’s learning progress. Parents must check their children’s performance, assist with difficult subjects, ensure they do their assignments, and take responsibility for their moral and academic growth.
With the renewed government policies and the anticipated projects aimed at revamping the education sector, now is the time for everyone to join hands on this rescue mission. Every stakeholder must passionately play their part to pull out the drowning child from the troubled waters of neglect and decay.
Let the “Season of Sweetness” truly reach every sector, beginning with education.
Kelvin Ololo is a Cross Riverian and a Journalist. He writes from Calabar, Cross River State.
NB: Opinions expressed in this article are strictly attributable to the author, Kelvin Ololo, and do not represent the opinion of CrossRiverWatch or any other organization the author works for/with.