Revisiting Imo Education System: What Government Should Do
We are in the first week of the month of December, the twelfth month and the end of the Julian calendar year. It is the Christian cum cultural and traditional festival period of the year. It is also when christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, God made man.
Here in Imo State, the month means and signifies much to the people-especially youths, women and children. Years ago this period ushered in examination cultivation to the younger generation.
Alas those days are gone. What has happened to our people as regards learning, innovation and pride.
We call on the leaders of the current 3R administration and the appointees including the Commissioner for Education to take a cursory look at our education system.
There was a time that Imo state was leading the nation nay Africa in Science, Religious Studies, Technology, Arts and crafts, innovation and wealth creation. Where are we today? What has happened? Are we progressing or deteriorating
What happened to our interest in, and bias for science and technology with self reliance and self sufficiency?
A flashback will reveal that we must retrace our steps to our goals. How come that we have the highest number of educated qualified graduates in the land.
There was a period in the annals of the history of this nation with emphasis on the South East region using Imo State, the eastern Heartland as a reference point academic i.e education, teaching and learning, and imparting knowledge was given priority attention in the programmes and policies of various governments, communities families and individuals.
This prompted individuals, villages, communities and religious organizations to venture into the establishment of private, public or religious institutions leading to a point that the ownership of educational institution become a pre-requisitive for granting an autonomy to a community or section of an area in the state.
This explains why in each of the 637 communities in Imo State there is a personal, community or mission school it is either a primary, secondary, grammar or technical school.
This emphasis on education led to the establishment of the Imo State University a number Colleges of Education, Technical College or Colleges of Agriculture. Hence, there are myriads of technical schools or colleges in Imo State that even during the golden era of Governor Sam Mbakwe, education was regarded as the greatest industry of the state that workers mainly teachers, clerical and technical staff were exported or loaned to other states and countries.
A causal visit to Imo State and cursory investigation will reveal the “Collapse and deplorable condition” of academic institutions.
Personnel and products of the state that were hitherto rated high and given premium positions in academic endeavours, entrepreneurship, apprenticeship, technology, Law, research and discovery lost lost its pride of place.
A recent tour of the 630 communities of the 27 local governments in the three zones of Orlu, Owerri and Okigwe reveals a total collapse and neglect of education. All the public and missionary schools taken over by government including the moribund Technical Colleges are in completely dilapidated with empty classrooms and unoccupied dormitories, abandoned classrooms, laboratories, halls and the playgrounds overgrown with grasses and weeds, creating habitation for rodents and other animals that have turned these former highly rated expensive teaching or hide outs for criminals.
The present government and its ministry of education headed by revered young academic seem not to take notice of the collapse and total decay of education in Imo.
We invite the vibrant and eloquent Commissioner for Education to visit the once glorified academic institutions in Orlu, Njaba, Ideato, Oru East, Oru West, Nkwerre, Nwangele and Owerri Municipal Council, Mbaise nation Okigwe zone of Etiti Mbano Onumo and Okigwe town. He will agree with us that since the period of the now defunct rescue mission administration’s free education policy, we have succeeded in killing education in Imo and replaced it with hooliganism, violence, killing or murder for money. Where have our colleges gone to?
A recent investigation tour of some of these institutions by a group of human rights activists and top politicians to the notable high schools like Okigwe National Grammar School, Uboma Secondary School, Ahiara and Osu Technical colleges, Emmanuel College, Owerri, Development Secondary School, Owerri, Comprehensive Secondary school, Awo-omama, Owerri Grammar school, Imerieme, as well as the former mission schools and community schools unveiled total abandonment, neglect, decay and deplorable conditions. The deplorables condition of the education system in Imo State where doctorate degree holders, products of the institutions have become bus drivers, touts and violent task force personnel with no value or regard to their learning.
This situation calls for a wholesome revival or renaissance of our education policy for onward development.
