By Paul Ojeka
One year ago, Cross River State Universal Basic Education board received Dr. Stephen Odey as the new foremost administrator and this development witnessed an opening ceremony of a new chapter in the history of SUBEB. The appointment of Dr. Odey did not come as a surprise to the vast majority of Cross-Riverians who had expected nothing less than total overhaul of the primary schools in the state. It would be a wild idea to think that Dr. Odey’s appointment fell from the blues because lots of reasons abound why SUBEB was to have a veteran educationist on the saddle.
Indeed, no sane man travelling across continents would prefer a bicycle to an airplane. This singular logic is responsible for the appointment of Dr. Odey who had received adequate tests – on integrity, judicious resource management from the digital governor, prof. Ayade before putting him on the saddle to take SUBEB to a new level of enhanced development. Apart from the glaring fact that Dr. Odey has a dossier replete with distinguished marks as an uncommon achiever in leadership, his personal qualities of love for service to humanity broadened the expectations of the people to see quick results as outcome of his appointment considered as a square peg in a square hole.
To a carpenter, with hammers, chisels and nails, there is a means to make the work of carpentry easy for the enthusiastic carpenter. Literally, Dr. Odey may have no need for those concrete tools mentioned, but literarily, the case is constantly the other way round as he has the need for some equipment to help him in working his work. Thus, having set his transformation target, precisely 365 days ago, on assumption of office, he constructed some psychological devices in a mantra coined: “Rescue Mission”.
Dr. Odey, a veteran educationist who found his way, through hard work and perseverance, from the primary school to the peak of academic height, realised that education is the best legacy that any society can bequeath to the next generation; consequently, on his appointment as SUBEB chairman, constructed two phrases as his motto: namely, “Rescue Mission” and “It’s unacceptable”.
Rescue Mission, a newly crafted watch word by Dr. Odey, is the force that propels him to carry out the actual necessary reforms in the schools (primary schools) under his jurisdiction.
Meanwhile, the phrase, “It’s unacceptable” serves as an alarm against unethical conducts in the teaching profession. Suffice it to say that regular inspection tours on schools has become a regular feature on the roster of SUBEB chairman to enable him carry out thorough checks on all the primary schools in the state in order to correct all practices in the primary education sector that violate the ethics of the teaching profession.
It will be called that barely two hours after the SUBEB chairman, Dr. Odey Stephen was sworn into office, instead of treating himself to some form of amusements in celebration of his appointment, the burning desire for reforms in him drove him to schools where he conducted a thorough inspection of some schools in Calabar metropolis, for the first time.
Further inspections and the personnel audits carried out so far has paid off – on one hand, some teachers who deserved to be upgraded have been elevated. On the other hand, those with forged results have also known their fate. Non-existent teachers (ghost workers) have been traced in their huge number too. This is a typical example of odd situations which triggers his proclamation, “it is unacceptable!” What is the rationale for having “ghost teachers” on the pay list of government when we have real qualified unemployed workforce roaming the street searching in vain for a teaching job? It is an elementary logic that while some of the corrupt stakeholders in the educational sector make money from filling the school staff list with ghost workers to make money, our schools become understaffed. Needless to mention the danger quack teachers constitute in the realization of the goal of teaching and learning.
It is therefore an open secret that the victims of the rescue operation (mostly, beneficiaries of the gains of ghost workers and teachers with questionable qualifications) have come out to build an alliance to resist the Rescue Operation of Dr. Stephen Odey, who promises to fight the evil in SUBEB, no matter whose ox is gored. The only sin of Dr. Odey then was that he has come to salvage the primary educational sector. However, as darkness can never surmount light, cheap blackmail, lies and persecution are rather factors that could strengthen him to work more to restore professional ethics to the schools under his jurisdiction.
Some of the achievements within the period are as follows;
*Accessed UBEC Marching Grant from 2012-2015, through the instrument.
*Embarked on Personnel Audit Exercise to rid the sector of ghost workers and also to determine the number and quality of Teachers in the system. The exercise has saved the State about N10 million monthly and about 250 teachers with fake certificates have been uncovered in the process.
*Approval to employ 1,000 credible and qualified Teachers to replace the retired and death ones. Recruitment process is on-going.
Commissioned by the Governor, to midwife the establishment of one world class model school fashioned in line with the Canadian International School.
*Commencement of academic activities at the UBEC-built Junior Secondary Schools at Itigidi and Okuku.
*Rehabilitation of three abandoned dilapidated SUBEB vehicles, for effective monitoring/supervision.
*Implementation of 2011 Universal Basic Education (UBE) Intervention Fund; this led to the constructions of twenty-nine Classroom Blocks and Rehabilitation of forty-nine Classroom blocks in several schools across the State. About Twenty classroom blocks have been concluded and handed over to SUBEB.
*Accessed the balance of the Excess Funds from UBE 2005-2007 Intervention Projects, which hitherto was unclaimed in the Central Bank of Nigeria; Similarly, six more Schools across the three senatorial districts are currently benefitting from the accrued balance of the Excess Funds, as sites have been handed over to Contractors and work is on-going. Also, the purchase of one brand new Hilux has been made to aid monitoring/supervision and purchase of 500 Quartet Magnetic boards; about 250 boards have been supplied.
*supplied about 348 chairs and 174 table sets for teachers in schools across the State.
Supply of 10,400 plastic chairs and table sets for Early Child Care Development (ECCDE), Primary and Junior Secondary pupils across the State.
*Carried out 2014 Universal Basic Education Teachers Professional Development programme workshop also known as cluster. This is done to improve teaching capacity.
*Carried out 2014 SMASE Cycle II workshop; 148 core teachers were successfully trained on strengthening Mathematics and Science Education.
*Carried out 2015 Jolly Phonics workshop, about 2,400 teachers were trained across the state
*Renovation of SUBEB Conference room, Offices, Toilet facilities and SUBEB environs.
*Accessed 2013-2014 Special Education grants from UBEC; this has led to construction of 1.no. 4 Classroom block at Special Education Centre Ogoja, provision of motorized borehole at special Education Centre Ogoja, provision of Special Education learning materials, provision of 80 units of dual desk and seat, amongst others.
*Purchased and distributed 18 Desktop computers, Printers, Ups and Generators to Local Government Education Authorities across the 18 Local Government Areas, which was non-existent for the past 15 years.
*Procurement of 18 thousand Diaries and 18 thousand Registers to be distributed to Schools.
*Converted about 7 casual Staff to Staff.
Within just 365 days in office, we have these giant strides to his credit. Now, it’s obvious that since Ayade is involved in the affairs of governance of the state, Cross River state Education can no longer crawl, but fly!
