BEVERLY HILLS, April 23, (THEWILL) – Plans have been concluded by the Akwa Ibom State Government to commence the payment of gratuities to retired primary school teachers or their next of kin.
The plans by the state government were made bare during the official presentation and distribution of Quality Assurance equipments to Quality Assurance Officers in the 31 local government education authorities at the state’s Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) ground on Friday.
However, THEWILL gathered from reliable sources that the plan by the state government to begin the payment came on the heels of the planned protest by beneficiaries of such funds on the same date.
The source disclosed that funds had been released to pay gratuities to retired primary school teachers or their next of kin from year 2000 to 2014.
The Chairman of the Akwa Ibom SUBEB, Obong Paul Ekpo, appreciated the Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Idongesit Etiebet, for the proactive move of ensuring that teachers and students got back to school in line with the vision of Governor Udom Emmanuel in producing quality and excellent children.
While appreciating the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) for its role in the various infrastructural interventions in schools, Ekpo reiterated that it was not the building that made the students but “the content of the teachers that will provide and produce well behaved, excellent performance of the child.”
The SUBEB helmsman maintained that teachers need to be guided, and stressed the need for effective supervision and monitoring, which makes the Quality Assurance Department key.
He stated that education was not a one man’s business but the collective effort of all critical stakeholders in the education sector.
He sued for the commitment and dedication from all, to ensure that the equipment given was used to achieve effective supervision.
Ekpo appealed to the education secretaries to supervise the quality assurance officers to ensure that they carried out their assignments and achieved expected results.
While commending the Governor for entrusting the responsibilities of the Basic Education sector into the hands of the newly constituted board members and for facilitating the board, he reiterated that the board was ready to establish a glaring and traceable difference in the education sector.
On behalf of the board, the Chairman declared total support and also admonished the officers to show commitment and dedication as critical stakeholders in the development of the state’s education system.
The Commissioner for Education, Etiebet described the Governor as an education lover, and reiterated that the state of emergency he declared on the education sector would ensure that education was improved for every Akwa Ibom child.
Etiebet outlined the achievements of the Governor in the education sector to include prompt payment of salaries to teachers, payment of examination fees for children in exit classes, internal examination fees, ongoing construction of perimeter fencing of government schools in the state, the commencement of verification exercises for the payment of gratuities to retired primary school teachers, prompt payment of counterpart funds, among others.
She said, “The Quality Assurance materials are to equip you to achieve excellence in the school system by monitoring, evaluating and inspection of teachers.
“The vision of Governor Udom Emmanuel is to make sure that we produce children that will have excellence in all ramifications that will be able to compete with any child in any clime.”
Earlier, the Zonal Director, South-South UBEC, Mr. Igbinoba Osahon, stated that in line with the UBEC Vision, it has set aside 2 percent of the marching grant solely for quality assurance activities in the state.
Mr. Osahon urged Quality Assurance Officers to make sure that the teachers were up to their tasks on a daily basis so that UBEC’s vision would be actualised.
Permanent Secretary of SUBEB, Elder Ezekiel Umoh, who commended the teachers for educating and producing intelligent pupils, disclosed that Akwa Ibom State took the overall first position in the Presidential Essay Competition in 2020.
He maintained that the issue of Leave Grants for teachers would be addressed.
Furthermore, the Permanent Secretary seized the opportunity to announce the commencement of the payment of gratuities to retired primary school teachers or their next of kin on Monday 26th April, 2021.
In his response on behalf of others, a beneficiary of the equipment, Apostle Aniefiok Okon, thanked the SUBEB Chairman for entrusting the equipment to them and assured that the officers would deliver qualitative education in the area of supervision and monitoring by putting them to proper use.
Items presented and distributed included: 31 motorcycles, 17 laptops and printers, 20 digital tablets, school diaries, records, chalks and other items.
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