… _As South East Media Forum scores ENSUBEB best in zone_

Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, has approved the release of the sum of N1,912,187,753.82 for the payment of four-year accumulated leave allowances owed to teachers of public primary schools in the state.

According to the government, the approval was in fulfilment of Governor Mbah’s promise to ensure that teachers get all their entitlements in line with his administration’s determination to enhance teachers’ welfare and boost productivity.

It noted that the 260 smart green school policy thrust of the current administration to give the children of the state a quality head start could only succeed if the teachers were well motivated to give their best.

Recall that Mbah had earlier approved the extension of full implementation of N30,000 minimum wage to primary school teachers and local government workers.

Meanwhile, the South East Media Forum has rated the Enugu State Universal Universal Basic Education Board, ENSUBEB, as the best UBEB in the South East Zone, stressing that its empirical findings put the board ahead of other UBEBs in the region.

This was even as the Forum presented a distinguished merit award to the Chairman of ENSUBEB, Dr. Gabriel Ajah, commending Governor Mbah’s leadership recruitment model of putting square pegs in square holes, noting that the governor’s team at ENSUBEB had revolusionalised primary education in line with the governor’s disruptive innovation agenda.

Presenting the award to ENSUBEB Chairman in his office in Enugu, the Zonal Chairman of the Forum, Comrade Norbert Okolo, said, “We did a study of Universal Basic Education Boards in the South-East and came up with what is needed in education management. Of all the Board Chairmen Enugu scored the highest in performance.”

“This boils down to leadership recruitment and putting square pegs in square holes as the governor did with ENSUBEB.

“For instance, given his experience as a Permanent Secretary and later, an acting Chairman of ENSUBEB, Dr Ajah, has upon his appointment as incumbent Executive Chairman of ENSUBEB introduced some innovation in our primary schools and junior secondary in line with Governor Mbah’s agenda to achieve quality basic education for all children of school age in Enugu State,” Comrade Okolo stated.

Responding, Dr. Ajah described Governor Mbah as a disruptive innovator, who had demonstrated his passion for education by introducing the smart schools policy and allocating 33 per cent of the state’s 2024 budget to the education sector.

“The Board is being driven by the core values of disruptive innovation, institutional capacity, responsive citizenship, excellence, character and competence as well as team work in keeping with the vision of the governor,” he stated.