... Call for education reform

The Secretary to the Abia State Government (SSG), Dr. Emmanuel Meribole, and the Vice-Chancellor of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU), Prof. Ursula Ngozi Akanwa, have described the theme of the university’s Third International Education Conference as timely and relevant to the challenges confronting Nigeria’s education sector.
The conference, organised by the university’s College of Education, was themed: “Rethinking Quality Education: Innovation, Inclusive and Sustainable Learning from Early Childhood to Adulthood.”

In her welcome address, the Dean of the College of Education, Prof. Rose Uzoka, said the conference was designed to provide stakeholders with an opportunity to critically examine the challenges facing the education sector and develop practical solutions that would improve learning outcomes.

She urged participants to translate the recommendations from the conference into actionable policies and practices.
Participants at the conference, including academics, policymakers, researchers, development partners, students and education practitioners from across the country, agreed that quality education remains the surest path to national development, global competitiveness and sustainable social transformation.

They called for a fundamental rethink of Nigeria’s education system through innovative, inclusive and sustainable learning approaches capable of addressing contemporary national and global challenges.

Among the resource persons were Dr. Heike Pantelmann, Managing Director of the Margherita von Brentano Centre for Gender Studies, Freie Universität Berlin, represented by Prof. Dorothy Ebere Adimora; Prof. Emmanuel Etta Ekuri of the University of Calabar; and Prof. Nnamdi Obikeze of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam.

The speakers emphasised the need for a holistic education system that promotes innovation, inclusiveness and lifelong learning, while calling for sustained collaboration to reposition quality education as the foundation for inclusive growth and sustainable national development.

Speaking as chairman of the opening session, Meribole described the conference as a valuable platform for intellectual engagement and policy dialogue on the future of education.
He commended the Vice-Chancellor for approving the conference and reaffirmed the Abia State Government’s commitment to improving education under Governor Alex Otti.

According to him, sustained investment in education remains one of the most effective strategies for achieving sustainable development, social transformation and economic prosperity.
The former Permanent Secretary challenged participants to critically evaluate existing educational systems and propose practical solutions suited to an increasingly interconnected and rapidly changing world.

“No nation can rise above the quality of its educational system,” he said.
In her remarks, Prof. Akanwa, the university’s seventh and first female Vice-Chancellor, described the conference theme as compelling and appropriate for the present realities.
She said the conference reflected the urgent need to reassess educational systems in response to the social, economic and technological changes of the 21st century.

“This conference has the potential to inspire innovative thinking and practical solutions that will shape the future of education for generations to come,” she said.

Also speaking, the Abia State Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Prof. Uche Eme-Uche, and the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Elder Goodluck Ubochi, said the Otti administration had continued to rebuild confidence in public education through strategic investments in infrastructure, teacher development and education technology.