By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

Anambra State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo has reiterated his plans to end the era of schools without teachers in Anambra State.

He stated this at the official flag-off of the distribution of the multimillion Naira instructional materials and the commissioning of six Shuttle Buses for quality assurance monitoring visits, held at the Anambra State Universal Basic Education Board, ASUBEB Headquarters, Awka, on Thursday.

Represented by the Head of Service, Barr. Theodora Igwegbe, the governor stressed that education is free in Anambra State, saying that 2,000 laptops were recently distributed to Head Teachers of schools to enhance their digital skills and facilitate a speedy digitization of education in the State.

The Governor further explained that the instructional materials for schools were aimed at enhancing quality teaching and learning to enable the children of Anambra study without tears.

According to Soludo, his administration has impacted positively on all sectors of the State economy.

He reeled out the sectors to include, health, human capital development and road infrastructure, especially the hard to reach areas like Awba Ofemmili Road, among other communities, stressing that solution is already here.

Earlier in her welcome address, the Executive Chairman, ASUBEB, Awka, Dr. Vera Nkiru Nwadinobi hailed the Governor for his unwavering interest in promoting education in the State.

She observed that Soludo had made the procurement of the multimillion Naira instructional materials possible by approving the payment of N3.093,768,157.72 matching grant to UBEC/SUBEC 2019, 2020, and 2021 intervention projects to improve teaching and learning environment of the State schools.

Among the items to be distributed were ICT equipment, English, Mathematics and core subjects textbooks, Magnetic white boards, Early Childhood Care and Development, ECCD toys, JSS plastic chairs and tables, iron framed teachers tables, and six Shuttle Buses for Quality Assurance Monitoring and Supervision Visits.

Dr. Nwadinobi also stated that apart from the non-payment of any form of levy in both primary and secondary schools in the State, the recruitment of 5,000 teachers and the ongoing recruitment of extra 3,000 teachers to cushion the upsurge of school enrollment, the Governor has not delayed in the payment of teachers’ salaries and gratuities, nor forgot the mission schools who will also benefit from the distribution of the instructional materials.

She further commended the Governor for changing the face of basic education in Anambra State.