By Mokwugwo Solomon, Awka
The South East consultant for Human Capital Development, Nigeria, Professor Kate Azuka Omenugha, has said that the clear vision and strategic objective on education set by the former governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano, was responsible for the state’s impressive performance in external examinations and international competitions.
Speaking to newsmen during the recent 35th priestly ordination anniversary of Mongr Theophilus Odukwe, in Onitsha, Anambra State, Prof Omenugha, who is a former commissioner for education in Anambra, said that the state was still backward in education before Obiano took over in 2014.
She said that Obiano’s investment in education when she was the state’s education commissioner helped the state’s education system to witness positive turnaround.
According to her, “When Obiano’s government came on board in 2014, Anambra was at 64.5% grade in WAEC and NECO. That is for those that scored credit grades in five subjects, including Mathematics and the English language. Since then, the state had continued to rise educationally.
“By the time our administration was winding up in 2021, the state was having 92.5% grade in external exams. This is because, our government was positioned to achieve this goal through careful investment in education, human capital development and equitable distribution of resources.
“We got a lot of letters of commendation from WAEC and NECO for achieving this feat. During this time, Anambra students won a lot of laurels within and outside Nigeria. It was on record that our students went for a competition in Singapore and came back with gold medals.
“Anambra State, under Willie Obiano’s government, invested in teachers through incentives and capacity building, which helped them to give their best in the classroom. We had engaged our students in skills development, debates, quiz competitions, etc because, we had clear vision of where we were going.”
Prof Omenugha called on the governors of the South East to invest in human capital development, as against building only flyovers and roads.
In her view, investing in people will ensure that they will come out as responsible citizens to take enviable positions in society and contribute their quota in the development of the nation.
She said, “What I do at the moment as Human Capital Development consultant is to go round the states in the South East to drive the governors to invest in their people in the three core areas of education, health and nutrition; as well as workforce participation, especially for youths and women.
“Presently, we’re holding hands with state governments, and ensuring that they invest in their people. This is because human capital development is what we can use to drive out poverty, and help us have people that will remain productive all through their lives.
“We do capacity building in all the states. We talk to the governors and commissioners, urging them to come up with data that will be visible and credible, so that they can invest properly during budgets.”
