9,371 Applicants Shortlisted for Abia Teachers’ CBT Exam

“The Igbo language, which happens to be the identity of our people, has been made compulsory in our schools up to SS2 level. This is to make sure our children are grounded in their mother tongue. It’s hoped that the compulsory re-introduction of Igbo language will help drive the cultural and social revolution that this government is embarking upon,” Prince Kanu explained.

Another major change in Abia schools is the return of History as a subject. The state government has decided to bring it back immediately because it believes History is important for students to learn about their roots and culture.

“Any society that is interested in making progress must be deliberate about keeping its history. We believe Abia State has a rich historical background which we are proud of, and we intend to tell our children and future generations our history,” he said.

Elder Goodluck Ubochi, the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, also spoke about the return of History. He said that although History was made compulsory in the past, it often repeated Civic Education lessons.

“There is a new curriculum that is about to be released. It has been approved. By next academic year, that new curriculum will be on board. But one good thing is that the state has the right to adjust a curriculum as it suits us. So, we are going to rejig the curriculum to bring those historical facts for which we are known into the curriculum so that a child who goes through secondary education will be able to know the basic history that makes Igbos very different from any others,” Elder Ubochi stated.

Regarding the hiring of teachers, Elder Ubochi announced that Governor Alex Otti has agreed to increase the number of teachers to be employed from 2,500 to 5,000.

“Last time I was here, I told us that the State Executive Council graciously approved that 2,500 teachers be recruited. At the end of today, after reviewing the level of influx of children in our schools because of the free and compulsory education, we had to request the Governor to approve for us a higher number. By the time we are through with this process, about 5,000 teachers would be employed,” Elder Ubochi assured.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Monitoring and Evaluation, Mazi Ugochukwu Okoroafor, was present at the briefing. Also in attendance were the Media and Publicity Adviser, Mr. Ferdinand Ekeoma, and the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Ctz. Ukoha Njoku Ukoha.

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