By Izuchukwu Adichie
Before the coming of Soludo as the governor of Anambra State, the education sector in the state lacked a clear, documented policy, raising concerns for Soludo. To address this issue, he set up the Anambra Educational Advisory Council, which was tasked with developing new pathways to deliver quality education and improve the learning outcomes for students in the Anambra school system.
Soludo’s administration made significant strides in the education sector, by being the first Nigerian governor to employ 5,000 teachers in the first nine months in office and an additional 3,000 teachers, to put an end to public schools without teachers and ensure quality learning. Moreover, Soludo treated education as a fundamental right of every child born in Anambra, irrespective of religion, ethnicity, and race.
Under Soludo, mandatory free education was declared for government-owned and managed primary and junior secondary schools, along with unified payment of N5,000 for senior secondary school students. This policy put an end to the indiscriminate levies and positioned the state as the lowest out-of-school children ranking. The policy abolished not only fees but also all kinds of levies being imposed and collected in schools. As a result, there were an additional 83,814 pupils and 62,148 students enrolled in public schools.
Soludo’s administration has transformed the public school system from one marked by neglect and decay to one filled with hope, improved access, infrastructure development, and enhanced service delivery. His ingenuity brought back the lost glory of public schools, which proudly produced icons of global repute as well as thought leaders with an impact that has remained indelible for ages.
Another groundbreaking achievement of Soludo’s administration is being the first Anambra governor to allocate N20 billion to the educational sector in the fiscal year of 2024, marking a 140.88% increase in budget allocation. However, Soludo has approved the upgrade of 60 schools to smart schools. With the settlement of a 4-year UBE counterpart funding arrears with Universal Basic Education, the settlement will result in billions of Naira grant from UBEC to ASUBEB, allowing the rehabilitation and upgrade of basic schools in the state. The government has also trained and retrained teachers, shared 2,000 laptops, and increased the salaries of teachers by 10% in the first nine months in office. This underscores the administration’s unparalleled commitment to education in the state and standing ovation for Soludo.
