Anambra State is fast approaching the remarkable milestone of having virtually no out-of-school children, thanks to sweeping reforms in its public education sector, Governor Chukwuma Soludo has declared.
Speaking during the 2025 World Teachers’ Day celebration and endorsement rally organised by the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in Awka on Tuesday, Soludo highlighted significant gains made under his administration in reviving the state’s school system.
World Teachers’ Day, marked globally every October 5, carried the theme this year: “Together for Teachers, Together for Tomorrow.”
According to the governor, literacy and numeracy levels in Anambra’s public schools have surged by over 40 percent, while enrolment figures have jumped by more than 45 percent since his government revitalised the education sector.
> “Anambra now has almost zero per cent of out-of-school children in Nigeria. This is a testament to our commitment to quality education,” Soludo stated.
He credited the transformation to strategic investments in public schools and a renewed focus on teacher quality and training.
> “Our administration recognises that education and human capital are our greatest assets, and we will do whatever it takes to make our public schools rise again,” he affirmed.
Soludo stressed the indispensable role teachers play in shaping the future, noting that no education system can succeed without a dedicated teaching workforce.
> “No school system survives without teachers. If you want to evaluate the future of a society, you look at the quality of its teachers,” he said.
The governor celebrated Anambra’s growing list of academic accolades, noting that one of the state’s schools was recently crowned the best overall in Nigeria at the 2025 President’s Teachers and Schools Excellence Awards, clinching eight other honours in the process.
In recognition of these achievements, Soludo announced additional rewards:
> “You have won an 18-seater bus and laptops, but I want to add a cash prize of N10 million for the overall best school and N5 million each for the other award categories,” he said.
> “Also, those who won various awards since 2022 when I assumed office will also get N5 million each,” he added.
He further highlighted that Community Secondary School, Eziowelle, was recently named the best science school in the country by WAEC—a nod to the impact of sustained educational investments in the state.
> “I’m very happy that our huge investment in education is yielding great results and you deserve to be celebrated,” the governor said.
Also speaking at the event, Mrs. Chika Chukwudozie, Chairperson of the NUT in Anambra, praised the governor’s unwavering support for teachers.
> “We appreciate the governor for regular payment of salaries, promotions, continuous teacher training, and recruitment of 8,315 teachers,” she said.
She also highlighted the administration’s achievements, including the renovation of schools into smart classrooms, the implementation of a free education policy, and the payment of long-overdue teacher gratuities.
In her remarks, the Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ngozi Chuma-Udeh, said the celebration was also an opportunity to show appreciation and political support for Governor Soludo ahead of the November 8 governorship election.
> “This endorsement is to thank and support the governor to continue his remarkable strides in the education sector,” she stated.
NAN
