Otti reaffirms commitment to education reforms for sustainable development

Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to reforms in the education sector, describing education as “the foundation for sustainable development”.

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Mr Otti said this on Wednesday, when the East Regional Working Committee of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), led by its Chairman, Nweke Odo, visited him in Nvosi, Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area of the state.

The governor said that education remained central to his administration’s development strategy, adding that the progress of any society depended largely on the quality of its educational foundation.

He thanked the union for recognising what he described as the “government’s modest efforts at improving education and other sectors” in the state.

“We take education very seriously. If you ignore the very foundation of humanity, then every other thing you are doing is a waste of time.

“A lot of the problems we face can be traced to education or the lack of it.

“When people are educated, their thinking changes and the opportunities available to them expand,” he said.

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Mr Otti explained that the Abia State Government had consistently devoted one-fifth of its annual budget to education “because of its impact on human development and societal progress”.

“The simple reason is that none of us would be sitting here if we were not educated, including the teachers themselves.

“That is why in the last three years, we have consistently devoted one-fifth of our budget to education, and it will continue that way as long as I remain in office,” the governor said.

He assured the delegation that the Abia State Government would consider their requests for a bus and the completion of the Teachers’ House in the state, amongst others.

Earlier, Mr Odo commended Governor Otti for his “remarkable interventions” in Abia’s education sector.

He said that the committee represented teachers from the nine states of the old Eastern Region, namely Abia, Anambra, Akwa Ibom, Enugu, Imo, Ebonyi, Cross River, Rivers and Bayelsa.

He said the committee’s visit was intended to appreciate his administration’s efforts.

“We have heard much about Dr Alex Otti, the Governor of Abia, and we deemed it necessary to come and say thank you,” Mr Odo said.

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He said that the governor’s allocation of 20 per cent of the state budget to education, recruitment of teachers and settlement of salary arrears had significantly improved teachers’ welfare in Abia.

“The recruitment of 5,300 teachers and ongoing recruitment of additional 4,000 means that within a short time you assumed office, 9,300 teachers have been engaged. It is overwhelming,” he said.

He also commended the Abia State Government for the regular payment of salaries and settlement of 17 months’ salary arrears owed to teachers by the previous administration.

Mr Odo further hailed the government for the construction of smart schools and the approval of a harmonised retirement age of 65 years or 40 years of service for teachers.

He urged other governors in the region to emulate Mr Otti’s commitment to education and assured the governor of the continued support of teachers in Abia and across the eastern region.

(NAN)