By Yemi Itodo The Association of Ebonyi Indigenes Socio-cultural in Diaspora (AEISCID) has berated the state governor, Dave Umahi ov...
By Yemi Itodo
The Association of Ebonyi Indigenes Socio-cultural in
Diaspora (AEISCID) has berated the state governor, Dave Umahi over a comment
attributed to him where he allegedly said ‘university education is not for
everybody and that is the truth’.
Umahi was quoted to have made the statement while commenting
on the six months’ old strike embarked on by members of the Academic Staff Union
of Universities (ASUU).
The lecturers in the nation’s public universities embarked
on the strike on February 14, 2022 and have extended the same many times as
their demands are yet to be met.
The President of the group, Paschal Oluchukwu in a statement
issued Tuesday said the administration of Umahi has reversed all the gains made
in the education sector in the state by the previous administrations.
It said: “It’s justiciable to bring to the fore how the man
who is advocating for at least Basic and Secondary education for citizens
indeed killed education at those two levels before eventually burying the two
State-owned tertiary institutions- Ebonyi State University and the Ebonyi State
College of Education, Ikwo.”
The group alleged that the actions of the current
administration which has left the education sector in its dimwit shadows were
inspired by greed and insatiable lust for money in institutions that his
predecessors had carefully and deliberately invested in.
It stressed that it was aware that Umahi had inherited an
Ebonyi that had a near excellent performance in academic examinations such as
WAEC, NECO and other competitive academic contests like debates.
It stressed that the State’s Debating Championship team led
by Professor Okpata made Nigeria proud even at the continental level.
The group explained that the history of education in Ebonyi
State is such that the first civilian Governor, Sen. Dr. Sam Egwu deliberately
offered free and compulsory education for all Ebonyians at least up to the
Secondary level with the government registering at least NECO for finalist
students.
It said this was further consolidated by his successor,
Chief Martin Elechi who felt the need to sustain the education legacies, adding
that his government brought Ebonyi to the limelight with proper remunerations
of teachers and attracted funds and investments in the Universal Basic
Education Board (UBEB).
The group alleged that the current administration in the
state has plunged the education sector in Ebonyi into a deeper mess.
“It is so bad that in his over 7 years reign, it has never
been reported that he made a brief stop over in any of the public education
facilities- be they Primary, Secondary or Tertiary institutions in the State.”
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