Grassroots education: Essien Udim partners State Secondary Education Board
-As Council Chairman plays host to Board members
The Chairman, Essien Udim Local Government Council, Mr Anthony Luke, has restated his resolve to ensure conducive atmosphere for academic activities in schools in the area.
The Council boss, who stated this when he played host to a delegation of State Secondary Education Board (SSEB) led by the Chairman, Dr Ekaette Ebong Okon, who were on a courtesy call on him at the council Secretariat, pledged partnership with the Board to ensure a rancour-free and peaceful academic environment in the area.
Luke made a case for establishment of more secondary schools in the area to accommodate the explosive number of school enrolment and ameliorate the suffering of students who normally trek a long distance to school in the neighbouring communities.
The Chairman restated his commitment to partner security agencies, community leaders, traditional rulers and school authorities to ensure adequate security in schools in the area as he vowed not to relax until Essien Udim is crime-free.
He commended the Board members for their efforts and commitments towards restoring sanity in the two schools in the area which he noted had witnessed some pockets of disturbances owing to activities of miscreants and criminal elements some months ago.
The council boss, however, regreted the unfortunate incidences and assured the Board of his administration’s determination to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators even though the crimes were committed before his emergence.
“As I am talking to you now, two of those boys are now in police detention and we are determined to eliminate criminal elements in Essien Udim, ” he assured.
He noted that security of lives and property of the people, education, social welfare and the overall well-being of the people remain priorities of his administration and expressed his determined to deliver on his campaign promises to his people.
In his remarks, the Chairman, State Education Board, Dr Ekaette Ebong Okon who said they were in the area on a fact-finding mission concerning reports of the disturbances at Okon Secondary Commercial School and Secondary School Ukana East.
The SSEB helmsman congratulated the Council Chairman, Mr Anthony Luke for his landslide victory in the last local government elections while lauding him for wading into the disbances at the schools to restore sanity to the academic institutions and also put security measures in place to checkmatractivities of miscreants in schools in the area.
Okon who described Mr Anthony Luke as a “pragmatic and action leader” maintained that the Chairman has shown capacity in the area of education in just few days after taking over the mantle of leadership in the Council and expressed optimism that his administration will do well in grassroots education.
She also commended the police and other security agencies for their intervention to restore normalcy and calmness back to the school for academic activities to thrive called on them to be more vigilant and proactive in securing the schools to avoid reoccurrence of such incidences.
The former member of Akwa Ibom State House of Assemble solicited synergy between the board and the council for delivery of qualitative education at the grassroots and appealed for assistance to fence the school compound to check encroahment.
The SSEB Chairman was accompanied in the visit by other Board members including Barr Martins Umanah, Board member iv and other administrative staff of the Board.
