Abia State Governor Dr. Alex Otti OFR, has stated that his vision is for Abia State to have a functional educational system where the children are properly trained to compete favourably with their peers across the globe. Gov. Otti stated this on Saturday 31st August when he paid an unscheduled visit to the participants of the ongoing Master-Teachers Training Programme (Train the Trainers Programme) under the Abia First Education Transformation Programme of his administration holding at the Federal Government Girls College Umuahia.
The Governor stopped over at the venue of the training programme after attending the 2024 edition of the Alex Otti Foundation (AOF) Scholarship Scheme held at the Sacramento Event Center, Umuahia, where he took over the training of 46 Abia Students studying in different tertiary institutions across Nigeria through the Alex Otti Foundation Scholarship Scheme. This is in addition to hundreds of current beneficiaries of AOF scholarship Programme in the past years which you don’t need to know anybody to apply and become a beneficiary.
Speaking during the award of scholarship to the recipients, Governor Otti said that the essence of the AOF scholarship scheme is to give indigent students an opportunity to continue with their education.
“So, while everybody is trying and struggling, we should not leave behind those who are less fortunate; that’s the whole essence of the Alex Otti foundation. It is not a place to make money or a place to play games”, the Governor stated.
While encouraging the scholarship awardees to take their studies seriously as they must maintain a certain level of Cumulative Point Average (CGPA) to continue enjoying the scholarship once enrolled from the second year, he called on all those whom God has blessed to become a blessing to others in whichever way they can, concluding that, the world has enough for everybody’s need and not enough for everybody’s greed.
While addressing the teachers at the undergoing training at the FGGC, Umuahia, Governor Otti said,
“My vision is that education will be functional and that our children will be properly trained. Our schools will be the best in class and our teachers will be the best in class. That is why I’m spending money. I can spend anything on education and the reason is simple, without education, I won’t be standing in front of you and of course God”.
“Everything is acquired; even knowledge is acquired by learning. So, that’s why we considered learning the most important part of our reforms. Even if you go and build skyscrapers and you don’t have qualified teachers, it is buildings that you have put up not a school. So, the school is not the building, the school is actually what is taken in and what is taken out of the school and that has to do with human beings”.
The Governor explained that the whole essence of the training programme is to ensure that our people are upgraded and that they have knowledge of 21st century events and dynamics.
“If you are a teacher in the 21st century, you will agree with me that every day, things change. In your time in school, am not sure you heard about robotics or artificial intelligence or 3D printing or Electric Vehicles or Driverless cars. That’s what the world is talking about today including Cyber security.
“So, we sat down and said, if we want to produce children that will compete with children in China, India and elsewhere, then we need to go back and retrain ourselves”.
“For us, if there is nothing else we can do in this State, at least, we should take education seriously. I have made the first step which is to allocate 20% of the 2024 budget to education. We may not spend all of it this year and even if we don’t spend all of it this year, we will still increase the Education budget next year”.
“Why are my saying so? I’m saying so because there are things that are lagging. Like this training should have happened since, maybe March. So, that you are being trained now means that you will need more time to train other people. We are ready to move the timetable forward, but we must get to where we want to get to”, the Governor declared.
Governor Otti thanked the teachers for their service to the State, saying that they are not taken for granted. He pleaded with them to teach others as they are being trained to train others.
The Governor whose presence was greeted by great ovations was accompanied to the events by his wife, Her Excellency Mrs. Priscilla Otti and some other top Government Functionaries.
Ctz. Ukoha Njoku Ukoha
Chief Press Secretary to the Executive Governor of Abia State.
