School feeding video: Disband ‘biased investigative panel’ – CSO tells Eno

Governor Umo Eno has been asked to disband the panel constituted by the Akwa Ibom government to investigate the condition of 26 boarding schools in the state, including the Presbyterian Senior Science College, Ididep, Ibiono Ibom local government area.

The dilapidated facilities seen in the viral video of the Presbyterian Science School, as well as the students having a malnourished meal, exposed the rot in public schools in the state and raised a lot of controversies.

Though the Commissioner for Education, Mrs Idongesit Etiebet in defense said it was not the responsibility of the state government to feed the students having provided a free tuition, many people were of the opinion that Akwa Ibom government needed to do all within its power to revamp the ailing education system in the state.

Mr Matthew Kofi Okono, (MKO), the founder of Open Forum, a Civil Society Organisation, told the press that for Akwa Ibom to come out of the education quagmire its grappling with, it must go back to implement the strategic roadmap of 2020-2030 by Prof. Hillary Inyang-led technical team, under the administration of former governor, Udom Emmanuel.

He described the exercise as the lowest hanging fruit in terms of education resuscitation.

According to MKO, “to ensure the success of the ARISE Agenda and effort of Gov Umo Eno in the education sector, the only solution and lowest hanging fruit to address the crisis in the education sector in the state is the diligent implementation of the Akwa Ibom Strategic Education Roadmap (AKSER) 2020 – 2030 which was produced during the Udom Emmanuel administration through the efforts of an 18-member Education Think-Tank headed by Distinguished Prof. Hilary Inyang.”

He said it was doubtful if anyone in the ministry of education or government had the capacity to break down the details of the seventeen (17) initiatives contained in the 436-page master plan aside from the team.

“The masterplan was received and adopted by the then Udom Emmanuel administration and a state of emergency was declared in the education sector, though with just the initial intervention in recruitment of teachers and fencing of some schools, majorly within the state capital.

“Its holistic implementation by the Umo Eno administration will address the decay in the education sector typified by the embarrassing food served boarding students of Presbyterian Senior Science School, Ididep and most likely in the 25 other boarding schools in the state,” he noted.

On the investigative panel and the group’s call for its disbandment, Okono revealed that the forum’s investigation with some stakeholders in the education sector, particularly with operators of schools with boarding facilities, revealed the lack of capacity and or negligence of supervisory authorities which led to a poorly managed school system in the state.

“We understand that it is the state government through the ministry of education and the state secondary education board that fixed the uniform boarding fee of N60,000.

“The commissioner for education, Mrs Idongesit Etiebet has in a press statement confirmed that the free education policy in Akwa Ibom State covers tuition fees ONLY and not boarding fees,” he said.

He further said due to the high inflation rate in the state and country, the principals of those schools were said to have sought the approval of government for an upward review of the fees as inflation had made it impossible to feed the children per term with the said amount, (N60,000) but the request was turned down.

He also said the principals were said to have suggested to the government the need to allow them buy food items directly from the Akwa Ibom State Government Bulk Purchase Agency to ease the burden, which, too, was turned down.

Okono said the suspension of the Principal of Presbyterian Senior Science School, Dr. Nse Sunday Umoh and consequent setting up of a 15-member investigative panel earlier headed by the Education Commissioner herself, and later replaced with Mr Ekanabasi Ubong, a “respected retired permanent secretary from the state ministry of education, with members comprising only representatives in the education sector is damage control and medicine after death.”

“No one should be a judge in his own case. A better administered and supervised school system would not have brought the huge embarrassment to the people of Akwa Ibom State.

“Open Forum hereby appeals to His Excellency, Gov Umo Eno to disband the investigative panel.

“The crisis in the education sector is not an isolated case, but widespread.

“It is instructive to note that a permanent solution on how to transform the education sector in the state had been documented and handed over to the state government since 2020 under the administration of former Gov Udom Emmanuel.

“If at all a committee is needed to find out why such a heartbreaking meal, unfit for even dogs, was served to students of Presbyterian Senior Science School, (PSSSI), Ididep, it should be done by an independent body.

“The number of members may not exceed 5 or 7 persons and be appointed by His Excellency, the Governor.

“The panel should also be mandated to investigate the allegations of corruption involving principals and the state secondary education board to influence postings to choice schools in the state.

“Ignoring such weighty allegations will further create and or widen the trust deficit in the integrity of the government,” Okono stated.