Governor Udom Emmanuel has expressed delight and commended the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) for donating a model primary school to boost the free and compulsory education policy of the State government.
Governor Emmanuel, who was represented by the Head of Civil Service (HSC), Elder Effiong Essien, while inaugurating the Model Primary School project executed by UBEC in partnership with the State government at Awa Ubium in Onna local government area, said that the gesture would go a long way to promoting the basic school system at the grassroots.
The school project comprises basic 9, Pre-primary, Primary and Junior Secondary JS1- JS3.
The governor, who expressed satisfaction with the quality of the project, tasked the host community to take ownership, explaining that “to sustain the project, the community must be actively involved in providing necessary care and security to safeguard the project from vandals, theft and rot, in order to preserve the project for maximum benefits”.
“The Model school will offer qualitative learning to students, as government has put in place adequate facilities, laboratories, library and a serene environment that will equip students with knowledge and prepare them for the future.
“One of the indices of sustainable development is ownership of a project and a facility like this, and when the community takes ownership of this project, by ownership I mean something that you care for, you own, you watch over it, you don’t allow anybody tamper with it, that will lead to sustainable development.
‘’Sustainable development means using what you have today to the best of your ability and leaving it in a better state for the future generation, so when you do so you will sustain this project in such a way that our children unborn will meet and make good use of the facility”, he added.
In the same vein, the Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Idongesit Etiebet, lauded the visionary leadership of the governor in advancing education in the state and appreciated UBEC for the partnership with the State Government in repositioning education for Akwa Ibom people.
The acting chairman, of UBEC, in the State Hon. Iniobong Akpan, in a welcome remarks, thanked Governor Emmanuel for the milestone recorded in the education sector so far, describing the project as “the beginning of a brighter future for Akwa Ibom children”.
