Entrance Exams: APC asks Obiano to resign after 10 days if…

The failure of three previous dates for the Anambra Common Entrance Examinations this year is not only a sad commentary on the disruption of our Anambra State Primary / Secondary School academic calendar.

It is an avoidable frustration on the dedicated teachers in the state who have put in their level best to prepare pupils for these examinations.

The Anambra State Common Entrance was supposed to take place on March 9, 2016. 

It was postponed one week to the date. No reason was given for the postponement. Not even to the teachers. 

A new date of April 27, 2016 was announced by Anambra State Ministry of Education.

One week to April 27, the examination was again put off to April 27, 2016, raising hope that even though now very late the state examination would still take place. 

But to the utter disappointment of teachers, pupils and their parents, the examinations were again deferred to May 18, 2016 last Wednesday.

Luckily, there was no strike in Anambra State on May 18, 2016. 

Yet, sadly the examination did not take place, meaning that it was again postponed, this time two days from the examination date.

Our checks driven by the compassion APC has for education, reveal to our consternation that Anambra State Government have not provided the necessary funding for the examination, other sensitive organs in the areas in the education sector.

This is against the grains of commercial adverts in newspapers from which awards are sourced by the government lately.

We are then compelled to ask what happened to the funds appropriated for education, particularly Common Entrance; which has never suffered this fate in 25 years of the existence of Anambra State?

Why has this development failed to get the attention of Anambra State Governor, who has never failed to claim credit, for self-made efforts of isolated champions from Anambra State who excelled in national assessments, but is disrupting the academic timetable and foundation, for sustainable and systemic academic excellence in the state?

We urge Commissioner for Education Prof Azuka Omenugha to apologise to Anambra State, the home of Prof Kenneth Onwuka Dike, and offer explanations on this abnormally and resign now.

We put Governor Willie Obiano, who is willingly lacking here, to ensure that this all-important examination holds before the end of this month, is graded by a beefed up task group and precipitate steps taken to recover lost time.

We cannot afford to lose more time beyond what has been lost, and the tardiness must not spill over to the 2016/2017 academic calendar for secondary schools in Anambra State contained in state.

Should the e examinations fail to hold this month (May 2016) the governor, who sadly is deputized by an educationist should also resign from office, because Anambra State will do less with a governor, who is not alive to his duty of ensuring a smooth education for children, where better alternatives abound, than with the future of the State, being jeopardized by failure to pay attention to fundamental issues?

We seize this moment to request the state government to reintroduce crafts and handworks in primary schools, eliminating payment of money as an option, as the foundation is required for building the base for future artisans, engineers and the technical areas.

We also urge the state government to promptly reintroduce the study of history in the secondary schools, including the history of Anambra State, Nigeria, West Africa and Europe, as the state is increasingly turning out youth who do not know their right from their left on matters of previous generations, and that is very bad for the preservation of cultures, traditions, values system and language assets in the state.

We salute Anambra State Primary school teachers for their patience, and note that this kind of situation should not be suffered gladly in future.

We feel for , and hereby encourage the parents of these pupils, and through them their pupils, who have been on the receiving end of this come today-come tomorrow treatment in a sensitive area where such should not be contemplated, let alone happen.

We and urge them to find the heart to overcome the present temptation, which is easily correctable in future elections.

For: All Progressives Congress (APC), Anambra State Chapter

Okelo Madukaife

State Publicity Secretary

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