Chime Charges Principals On Students Attitude

Members of All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS), have been called upon to identify and address the increasing rate of moral decadence and poor performance of their students in various national examinations.

Enugu State Governor, Barrister Sullivan I. Chime, made the call while addressing the opening ceremony of the 55th Annual National Congress of the association held at Michael Okpara Square, Enugu.

The Governor who was represented on the occasion by his deputy, Mr. Sunday Onyebuchi, noted with dismay that secondary education in the country had over the years suffered a worrisome reversal from what it used to be in the early days of the nation’s development.

This, he said, could be attributed to the pervasive corruption in all aspects of national development, poor attitude to work by some teachers, lack of basic teaching tools and requisite intellectual and professional qualifications among some teachers.

The State Chief Executive also used the occasion to condemn the attitude of some school heads who collude with the students in exam malpractices and engage in the establishment and operation of the so called “miracle centres” where students make the best grades in examinations through fraudulent means.

He, however,  commended ANCOPSS for its significant role in the advancement of educational development in more than fifty years of its existence and urged them to use the conference to discuss issues relating to exam malpractices, truancy and poor work ethics among teachers which had placed big dent on their reputations.

Also in his address, the National President of ANCOPSS, Chief Adeniyi Falade, said that ANCOPSS members as senior key players in the education industry made very commendable contributions to the onerous task of educating the Nigerian citizenry in the past years.

Chief Falade pointed out that what ANCOPSS needed most now was not rhetoric on the character and causes of the decay in the education industry in the country but rather strong commitment by all stakeholders to give the sector a positive turn around for better.

He,  thanked the Governor for his government’s contributions towards the advancement of the course of education in the state and appealed to him to continue to assist the state branch and national office of the association to fund its National Endowment Fund and building of their National Secretariat at Abuja.

In a brief speech, the Enugu State Commissioner for Education, Dr. Simon Ortuanya identified educational sector as the front burner among other economic sectors in the state.

He noted that of the mounting challenges from all other sectors of the state economy that the state government has continued to address problems in educational sector.

Dr. Ortuanya disclosed that all the public secondary schools in the state have been provided with buses numbering over 300, and enumerated other Governor Chime’s giant strides in educational sector in the state as recruitment of 4000 tutorial staff and 500 members of non-tutorial staff, prompt payment of salaries and allowances among others.

Earlier in an address, the President Enugu State ANCOPSS, Mr. Ben Enemo,  commended the State Governor, Mr. Sullivan Chime for being education friendly.

He enumerated some of the Governor’s achievement in the secondary education sector in the state to include, massive renovation of secondary schools, regular payment of pension and gratuity and regular payment of salaries to teachers and other civil servants.

Others are approval of enhanced overhead grant to secondary schools, grant of sports subvention to all secondary schools and the payment of 13th month salary to teachers and other public servants among others.

Mr. Enemo also appreciated the efforts of the National President of ANCOPSS, Chief Adeniyi Falade for having led the body successfully for the past four years and had recorded landmarks  of achievements for the confederation

The Enugu State ANCOPSS President requested the Governor to allocate a piece land to the body for building of  a secretariat and a bus to ease movement of members in the state.