HOMELAND
Anambra schools, pupils champions locally, globally
The various awards and laurels won by students and teachers from Anambra State internationally and within the country testify the efforts of the Obiano administration to improve the quality of education in the state.CHIMEZIE NEBOLISA in this piece highlights some education projects and achievements by the Obiano government.
FOR the past seven years, the state has continued to lead as her citizens set and break different educational records. Never in Nigeria’s history has a state dominated national examinations and laurels. This dominance is possible as a result of the dexterity that Dr Willie Obiano’s administration which paid serious attention to education, which it listed as one of the enablers of the state’s development since assumption to office.
Students of Regina Pacis Secondary School, Onitsha, who represented Nigeria and Africa at the World Technovation Challenge in Silicon Valley, in San Francisco, USA, won Gold Medal in August, 2018, even as Anambra took pride of place in the Students Advancement Global Entrepreneurship (SAGE) competition, while the 2019 President’s Teachers and Schools Awards for Excellence in Education, organised by the federal government through the Federal Ministry of Education was won by an Anambra teacher. Equally, students of Queen of Rosary College, Onitsha won the 2021 university of Delaware award for secondary schools.
The state also took the bronze medal in Tunisia at the African Science and Technology competition (IFES) took the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd positions in the annual National Essay competition and won the Science Teachers Association of Nigeria (STAN) Project competition.
The best two results in the 2020 admission into university admission organised by the Joint Admissions Matriculation (JAMB) were that of Anambra people.
Students of St John’s Science and Technical College, Alor, in Idemili South Local Government Area of the state won Bronze medal at the International Festival of Engineering, Science and Technology that held in Tunisia in March 2019.
Describing the foundation laid for these feat by teachers and students from the state alike, the Commissioner for Basic Education, Prof. Kate Omenugha believes that the dazzling performance of Anambra school children/teachers in national and international academic, scientific and technological contests is a clear indication that the children had deeply assimilated the state’s 10 shared values adopted by Governor Willie Obiano on his first retreat with his EXCOs and political appointees. “……Education is about ideology. It is what you believe in that you profess and what you profess, that you do. We have our mantra – We say, ‘Nothing is impossible. I do not accept failure. Yes, we can!’ Ask any Anambra child; he will tell you “I do not accept failure. Nothing is impossible. Yes, I can.” That’s our mantra. And what we do is to get it into the head of every Anambra child that nothing absolutely is impossible! The can-do spirit……”
In all, Governor Obiano promised that Anambra’s dominance in education will be sustained and that he has done for the past seven years as governor of the state through being focus, resilient and objective. And that is the Anambra spirit.
