CALABAR (Sundiata Scholar) – The Government of Cross River has announced its ambition to take the state to the top tier of educationally-developed states in Nigeria.
Mr Esu Esu, Chairman, Cross River Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), disclosed this during a news conference on Tuesday in Calabar.
Esu emphasised the state’s commitment to rewriting its educational history by implementing strategic initiatives aimed at improving school enrollment and educational infrastructure.
“We are determined to move Cross River from being an educationally disadvantaged state to one that ranks among the best in the nation.
“To achieve this, we need everyone’s effort to improve school enrollment and develop infrastructure to a level where we can compete with other leading states,” he said.
He explained that as part of the effort, SUBEB was set to commence a comprehensive needs assessment to identify schools facing infrastructure challenges.
According to him, the findings will inform a detailed work plan which will be submitted to the Universal Basic Education Board (UBEC) in Abuja for approval.
The chairman said that on assumption of office, he inherited a SUBEB grappling with severe infrastructural decay.
He added that his mission was to lead the board from its current state to where they envisioned it to be – a beacon of educational excellence.
On the issue of teacher-student ratio, Esu said efforts would be made to address staffing shortages by seeking approval from the governor for the recruitment of additional teachers.
Esu disclosed that in 2023, SUBEB implemented 49 interventions in schools across the state.
He added that in 2024, there are plans to double the number to 100 to broaden impact across the educational sector.
The chairman, therefore, urged the media and residents to support the board’s technical team by identifying remote areas in urgent need of educational infrastructure upgrade.
“This will ensure that even the most hard-to-reach communities benefit from the state’s educational reforms,” he said.
He also pledged to tackle the issue of ghost workers within the educational system by leveraging his experience in school board management to reduce malpractice.
“Many people are defrauding the system by collecting salaries without working. I commit to address this issue head-on and ensure accountability within our educational system,” he said. (NAN)