The Akwa Ibom State Government has been urged to recruit and train more qualified and professional teachers to address challenges affecting the state’s education sector and improve students’ performance in external examinations.
The Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Uyo, Prof. Ini Uko, made the call while speaking with journalists shortly after the Annual National Conference on Education held at the Onyema Ugochukwu Auditorium in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
Uko said the recruitment of qualified teachers, coupled with continuous training and effective monitoring of schools, would help address concerns over the state’s performance in the National Examinations Council (NECO) examinations.
She noted that the state government’s declaration of a state of emergency in the education sector provided an opportunity to critically examine existing challenges and implement measures aimed at restoring high standards in teaching and learning.
According to her, qualified teachers with the requisite professional skills and passion for teaching are essential to achieving effective and sustainable education.
She also urged the government to strengthen its supervision of schools, particularly in view of the state’s free and compulsory education policy, to ensure that the programme achieves its intended objectives.
Uko further called on parents to play a more active role in the upbringing and education of their children, stressing that government alone could not address all the challenges confronting the education sector.
The Dean, Faculty of Education, University of Uyo, Prof. Ime E. Emah, said the conference provided an opportunity for education stakeholders to share ideas, develop a common vision and explore ways of improving knowledge acquisition in response to the changing world.
Emah said the rapid evolution of technology had created new challenges for education, making it necessary for stakeholders to develop sustainable learning systems capable of preparing students for the future.
He explained that sustainable learning goes beyond the provision of modern classrooms and digital technologies, stressing the need to build resilient and lifelong educational frameworks that promote critical thinking and remain relevant over time.
He said the conference brought together professionals and experts to challenge traditional approaches, exchange ideas and develop practical solutions to the challenges facing education.
Also speaking, the Vice-Dean, Faculty of Education, and Chairman of the Local Organising Committee, Dr. Unwana-obong D. Uyanga, said the conference was designed to examine ways of strengthening the education system and making learning more practical and relevant to students.
Uyanga said professionals from different fields, including medical doctors and engineers, could contribute their expertise to education by helping students connect classroom learning with practical experiences.
She, however, identified poor parental upbringing, inadequate parental supervision, declining societal values and the shortage of properly trained teachers as some of the factors that could contribute to poor academic performance.
She expressed optimism that the state government’s declaration of a state of emergency in the education sector would provide an opportunity to identify and address the challenges affecting the system.
She called for sustained collaboration among government, teachers, parents and other stakeholders to achieve effective, qualitative and sustainable education in Akwa Ibom State.