A major drive that will deepen the delivery of basic education (primary and junior secondary school), create unfettered access, boost enrolment and retention in the public school system has been unfolded in Anambra State. The move is in response to the declining status confronting the public basic education system and the need to accelerate its development in the face of the challenges. Determined to address the gap and bring education closer to the door steps of the children of the state, Governor Charles Soludo a few weeks ago declared a Free Education Policy. Under the new policy all children of school-age who are not in schools are now compulsorily to attend and acquire basic education school irrespective of their parents’ socioeconomic background. As part of commitment to achieve his administration’s Transformative Agenda, the governor during his visit to some schools in Onitsha and Obosi, respectively, made the landmark pronouncement, declaring free education in public primary and secondary schools across the state. Accordingly, with his Transformative Agenda, Governor Soludo-led state government seeks to position public schools in Anambra State as examplar of educational excellence for the entire state, and to remove children from the street to classroom.

Other initiatives

Prior to the policy, other initiatives under the Transformative Agenda to reposition public schools in the state and further add impetus to the free education policy, include provision of textbooks to the pupils and students at no cost; infrastructure development, equipping of public schools with government-issued laptops and free Wi-Fi access, as well as introduction and strengthening of Public-PrivateCommunity Partnerships and the establishment of Patron Clubs within public school systems. Similarly, the government is set to deepen the fate of public schools by recruiting more teachers into the public schools to complement the 5,000 teachers already employed by Governor Soludo’s administration about six months ago. On the monthly running cost for primary schools in the state, which before ranged from N800 to N2,000, depending on the population of then school, and which has been a source of complaints and worry in the system, the government with the new free education policy, has now raised primary schools’ running costs to a minimum of N50,000 per month and which is to be borne by the state government. Also, at the Senior Secondary School (JSS 1-3) level, which received N10,000 per month as running cost (N30, 000 per term), the schools are to retain the minimum of N5,000 school fees paid by the students for running costs, while the state government is to augment the running cost of some schools based on the population of students. For instance, a school with 1,000 students will now get N50,000 as their running costs per term.

Number of schools

Meanwhile, the state currently has a total of 1,038 public primary schools with a total enrollment of 353,155 students, while the number is on steady increase due to the effort of the government to establish more schools, especially in communities without schools. As at Feb 2021, New Telegraph gathered that the state has 257 public secondary schools and 524 private secondary schools, a development that calls for the establishment of more public postprimary school institutions in the state. However, the enrollment in postprimary schools across the state is put at 420,107 students, which suggests that there is more pressure on the public post-primary schools in the state. With the staggering figures, Governor Soludo, according to education pundits, indeed has a lot to carry in his hands going by the expected strict implementation of the free education policy. This is as stakeholders in the state’s education sector noted that the annual appropriations for education must be reviewed to reflect the UNICEF and UN benchmarks of 26 per cent of the total yearly budget of every state or Federal Government to education, which has never been met or complied with in the annals of educational development in the country. To make the free education policy of the state more effective, stakeholders are also canvassing for overhauling of the Technical and Vocational Education system, which the national policy on 6-3-3-4 education system failed to achieve. Government’s goal Barely few days after the declaration of the free education policy in the state, Governor Soludo during a Mass at St Patrick’s Catholic Church in Awka, in celebration of the 63rd Independent Anniversary of the country, disclosed that parents and guidance had started withdrawing their children and wards from mission and private schools to public schools in less than three days after his administration introduced free education in the state. So far, the governor noted that three private schools and their mission counterparts were said to have lost about 30 per cent of their students due to the declaration of free education in to public schools. The governor, who insisted that the children of the poor should have the same opportunities as those of the rich in the society, however, wondered that “the children of the poor cannot attend the schools built by the churches, but that the Anambra State government is determined to make it a livable and compassionate society, and thus we are going to break the dynasty of poverty in the state.” Curiously, he promised to put in place a special package and some kind of grants to encourage mission schools, but he 8insisted that the administration would deliberately focus on the government’s primary responsibility of giving children of the poor in public schools the best form of education. Therefore, speaking on the policy, the Chairman of Committee for Education in Anambra State, Prof Ngozi Chuma Udeh, said there is no going back on the free education policy of the state government. While assuring stakeholders of the governor’s determination, she said necessary structures had been put in place to ensure that every child in Anambra state gets access to free and quality education. Udeh stated: “This is our first line charge and we are determined to set the records. Every student in any school in Anambra State belongs to the state government and it is our duty morally and otherwise to provide quality education for those children. “The government is going to ensure that every child irrespective of class or financial status gets educated and this would never be compromised. Education is a platform for every child to be liberated and thus it is to restore the dignity of man and if we train our children in education, we have secured our future and the future of our children and also a way of fighting crime from the cuddle and that is exactly what Governor Charles Soludo is driving at.” The Press Secretary to Governor, Christian Aburime, while providing more insight into other policies already perfected by the government to further enhance effective teaching and learning process in the school system, said part of this move is the pledge by the governor to make textbooks readily available and at no cost for children in public schools very soon. The governor’s promise, indeed embodies the administration’s dedication to ensure a level educational playing field and ensuring that every child has equal access to learning resources. Aburime said: “Also, in alignment with his commitment to pervasive technological integration, the governor announced plans to furnish public schools with governmentissued laptops and facilitate free Wi-Fi access. This Transformative Agenda seeks to position public schools in Anambra State as exemplar of educational excellence in the entire country. “As a leader, who is passionate about inclusive governance, Governor Soludo is candidly concerned about the glaring disparity between the educational experiences of children from affluent backgrounds and those from economically disadvantaged families. “Thus, he stressed that equal opportunity to all, not affluent or those from rich backgrounds, is the true differentiator. So, the state government will keep demonstrating a profound sense of duty towards the children in public schools, recognising their potential as the bedrock of a prosperous society and creating an enabling learning environment for them. “Accordingly, as educators in the state are challenged to be champions of positive change, and to uplift the burden from the poor parents and guardians of the children in public schools, emphasis is placed on the imperative of Public-PrivateCommunity Partnerships and the establishment of patron clubs within the public school systems, as well as to underscore the significance of quality assurance in the state’s education landscape.” This call for collective action, he noted, definitely falls in line with the ethos of the state’s ruling political party, APGA, which espouses the motto: “Be your brother’s keeper.” “Then, it all implies that the state government cannot do it all alone, and every one’s contribution to the educational reforms is needed, especially in a state like Anambra, where the private sector controls a larger share of resources,” he added.

Stakeholders’ reaction

Reacting to the policy, a don at the Department of English and Literary Studies, Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, Dr Chidebe Ofodi, underscored the critical position of Vocational Education in the development of a nation, saying vocational education is like technical education that is aimed at making one a functional member of the society, as it also provides gainful employment to the products of such education system. According to him, while Governor Soludo is pursuing free education in the state, there should be a concerted effort towards repositioning vocational education in order to keep the youths out of the streets and out of crime. “Free education has to a great extent, availed the poor in our society the opportunity to rise, and we commend the governor for that,” he said, even as he added that the Soludo administration’s “One Youth, Two Skills Programme,” is part of vocational training so that over dependency on white collar jobs would be reduced.” According to the lecturer, a look at the number of unemployed graduates in our society revealed that it is as a result of people not having access to technical and vocational education, but with what the state government has put on ground it is our belief that education in Anambra State would certainly advance positively.

The gain and pain

However, while there is an upsurge in enrollment in government-owned schools due to the free education policy, which is now described as huge gain for public education system; operators and owners of private schools are counting their losses as result of steady depletion in the number of their students, who it was gathered are being withdrawn in droves to public schools. Expressing delight over the announcement of the free education policy, parents and stakeholders in the state, have described this move as one that would further fast-track the development of education in the state. But, a section of the public described the policy as a mere political ploy or gimmick by the governor to curry support for his second term ambition, while some others wondered about the sustainability of this policy. Yet to other stakeholders, the policy has also opened another chapter in the litany of the fate of education development in the state in view of the fact that the private and mission schools appeared to be at the receiving end of this policy. To this group of people, their reasons stem from the fact that private schools are known for charging high tuition fees as well as other sundry payments but which the policy has now rip-off. Apart from the handing over of most iconic schools in the state to their mission owners, many of the schools were said to have become a paradox of the essence for which the missions demanded the return of their schools. “The Missions were of the view that they could provide quality education with its attendant high level of moral and discipline impacted on the students, but the backlash, however, is the high tuition fees charged in those schools,” some stakeholders argued. In fact, the policy is today a mixed-grill for the both public and private or mission schools owners. Expressing their plight, a Principal of popular private school in Onitsha, Mrs Uchenna Nkemakonam, however, told New Telegraph that there is growing apprehension among the operators of private schools in view of the withdrawal of students from their schools to the public schools due to the free education policy. She lamented: “We wonder how we are going to handle this because of the harsh economic situation in the country for which people are looking for ways not to incur additional cost, and especially paying children’s school fees. “It is understandable that when people see a way of overcoming those challenges they cash in on it and you don’t blame them. At the moment we are trying to figure out what to do and some are saying we should cut down the school fees in order to remain in business or approve payment of our fees in three instalments.” Another Proprietor, Mr Patrick Ummunna, in his remarks, pointed out that the policy would compromise standards in many private schools that would result in the ultimate need for some private schools to downsize. “We may have to cut down our staff strength because we cannot pay them when we review our fees and other payment given the sharp reduction in students’ enrollment, and what that means is that some staff would be thrown into the unemployment market.” A cleric, who would not want his name on print, also lamented the situation, saying he warned against return of schools to missions during their agitations that the Churches mostly might not have the capacity to shoulder the challenges of managing those schools. “Now look at what is happening. Before people were complaining about the high cost of mission schools, and poor teachers’ welfare, now that the government has announced free education policy in the state, most staff rooms and classrooms in some private schools are fast being empty as a result of mass exodus of children and teachers to the public schools. You cannot stop them unless you also declare free education in the mission schools, which is perhaps not possible,” he said.

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