Ugbene community in Awka North Local Government Area has officially handed over Comprehensive Secondary School, Ugbene to the Anambra State Government.
The handover ceremony took place at the school’s premises, with the traditional ruler, Igwe Samson Chimakwa, cabinet Chiefs, members of the community, Ugbene Progressive Union, students and teachers of the school, representatives of Post Primary Schools Service Commission and Anambra State Universal Basic Education Board ASUBEB in attendance.
Speaking at the event Governor Chukwuma Soludo said the handing over of the school to the state government will bring the total number of secondary schools in Anambra State to two hundred and sixty-eight.
The Governor, represented by the Commissioner for Education, Professor Ngozi Chuma-Udeh, described Ugbene as a progressive community that thinks about the future by putting their children into consideration.
While asking the community to change the name of the school to Community Secondary School to avoid ownership tussle in future, Governor Soludo promised to post students and qualified Principal and teachers to the school, adding that other things accruing to secondary schools in Anambra will equally be extended to the school.
In a welcome address, the Secretary-General of Ugbene community Mr Emmanuel Ibeh explained that the school was established in 2019 through the efforts of the then President-General, Chief Emmanuel Nwude, his secretary -General, Mr Emmanuel Ibeh, the pioneer Principals, Chief Boniface Nnaegbuna and Chief Fidelis Ozuah.
He pointed out that the team worked assiduously in order to have a successful handover with the school having recorded a lot of success stories, while the community and some good spirited members of the town shouldered the responsibilities of paying the teachers’ salaries till date.
While appreciating Governor Soludo for the approval the official handover of the Mr Ibeh appealed for absorption of indigenous teachers teaching in the school into ongoing recruitment of teachers, and that two persons from the community be employed to serve as security personnel of the school
In her remarking the Chairman of Post Primary Schools Service Commission, Professor Nkechi Ikediugwu, affirmed that all subjects’ teachers will be posted to the school and the indigenous ones who are qualified will be retained even as she promised that the good works done by the community in the school will be sustained.
The traditional ruler, of Ugbene Igwe Chimakwa, a community leader,Chief Ozuah and the Acting Principal of the school, Mrs Evangeline Okoye, noted that the taking over of the school by the state government is a huge burden lifted off their shoulders.
They also appreciated Governor Soludo for the new road he constructed in their community saying that they are the major beneficiaries of democracy dividends of the Soludo administration and promised to give him their vote in the next election.
Handing over of ownership documents of the school to the Commissioner for Education brought the event to a climax.