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Abia: Retired Teachers Forum Tasks Otti On Importance Of Basic Education

The Abia Retired Teachers (ART) Forum has made suggestions on how to make government primary and secondary schools in the state top notch in the country.

The Forum in a meeting with the state’s Governor, Alex Otti, commended his foresight in separating Basic Education from Tertiary Education through the creation of a special ministry for basic education in the state, noting that basic education has been grossly neglected.

During the recent Umuahia meeting, the Forum told Otti, who was represented by the Commissioner for Basic Education, Mr Goodluck Ubochi, that introduction of One Child-One-Skill Policy; Introduction of Practical Agriculture; and Restoration of Teachers Quarters within primary and secondary schools would go a long way in restoring the lost glory of basic education in the state.

Skills acquisition

The ART Forum told Otti that education without application of what is learnt is useless, stressing that Nigeria is in an era of massive unemployment. Therefore, there is absolutely no way that government and education stakeholders can sit idly by and watch children conclude their 6+6(12) years of primary and secondary school without a single skill.

Explaining the operational method of the policy, the ART Forum said that with the One ChildOne-Skill Policy, Abia primary and secondary schools’ curriculums must change to accommodate sought after skills acquisition in the Nigerian society and beyond.

According to the Forum: “It must not be stagnant, but very flexible and open to review and update every nine years to introduce new one or upgrade the existing one.

“This skills acquisition system must not be treated with kid gloves. It should be a part of daily learning in class with specific practical lessons done at the necessary workshops meant for such skills where our children will easily access necessary machines/tools related to their choice of skills.

“Parents are free to make choices of the skills they want for their children which must be registered in their details in school. They’ll pursue these skills, perfect them and become experts through constant practice, which will lead to productive competition, followed by awards and rewards for the most skilful.”

Pilot programmes

The ART Forum said that skills such as Fashion and Designing, Beauty and Make Up, Hairdressing and Barbing, Interior Decoration, CCTV/Cable TV Installation, Solar Installation, Photography and Video Editing, Drone Flying/Media Vloging, Leather Works (shoes, bags and belt making), Web Designing, Food and Pastries and Graphics Designing can serve as pilot skills for the kick-off of the policy.

According to the ART Forum, the above skills are available and can be assigned and registered in every public primary and secondary school in the state to help restore the lost glorious days of functional government owned schools.

“Note that any child who fails practical examination in any skill work is bound to repeat it until when properly mastered before he or she can be certified as skilfully qualified,” it stated.

Speaking further the Forum said: “Hence, a child can be academically certified without skilfully qualified. Therefore, the skill acquisition is beyond academic exercise but a means of survival even without going further to the universities.

“It is necessary to state that in primary schools, the skill acquisition classes’ start from primary three where their brains are ready to adapt to the system. ‘‘It is equally important to note that because of mastering of skills and specialisation, whatever skill a child begins with from primary three will be continued till the end of his secondary school (SS3) to aid perfection.”

Mini-production centres

The Forum said that practical agriculture in basic education will help children develop the sense of food production and help schools gain status of minor food production and preservation centres.

They explained that no child will be subjected to the ancient agriculture system or be allowed to suffer any of such, but will rather be exposed to different practical methods of food production that will help them be productive in their homes and help the society at large.

Following this, the Forum disclosed: “They’ll use their available farms to produce, distribute and market agricultural produce like corn, cassava (frying garri), producing and selling vegetables, poultry and fishery.

These agricultural production processes will happen with serious perfection, modern equipment to show our kids what food production is all about. “They shall have cucumber farms, corn farms, cassava farms, and modern yam farms among others depending on the available land and shall brand their products to be sold to interested traders.

“These farms shall never know seasonal farming as the school’s borehole water systems will serve as a semi irrigation system with laid down pipes all over the farm lands to encourage constant production to be supervised by employed professionals with the aid of the agriculture teachers in the schools.”

Restoration of teachers’ quarters

The ART Forum equally explained that restoration of teachers’ quarters has become extremely important because the presence of teachers and their families within the schools will improve security as the environment will no longer be a habitat for destitute and criminals.

They equally suggested that rehabilitation, maintenance and equipping of existing state owned schools; engagement of security agents to secure the life of students and teachers and school property are necessary things that must be done as well.

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