Secret Reporters No place to hide
Secret Reporters
The education sector in Akwa Ibom state which is supposed to be marked as monumental strides owing particularly to the compulsory, acclaimed qualitative education and conducive environment for learning is now saddening and can as well be termed a run-of-mill in the society despite the huge budgetary allocation for education in the state.
This educational decline is apparently seen in the abandoned learning environment for the pupils of Bishop Clark School located in the heart of Abak LGA which surprisingly, is the home of the deputy Governor of the state, Mr Moses Frank and the Federal House member representing Abak/Etim-Ekpo/Ika Federal constituency, Mr Aniekan Umana.
Findings by SecretReporters revealed that despite the N14,258,669,350 (Fourteen Billion, Two Hundred and Fifty Eight Million, Six hundred and Sixty Nine Thousand, Three Hundred and Fifty Naira) budget which was approved for educational sector in the state as at 2018 and another N14,333,487,510 (Fourteen Billion, Three Hundred and Thirty Three Million, Four Hundred and Eighty Seven Thousand, Five Hundred and Ten Naira) budget also approved for the same sector in 2019, these funds which are meant for the development of education in Akwa Ibom state including the above school that has allegedly been underutilized as the edifice of many schools, furniture, and learning environment are nothing to write home about.
Apart from the abandoned schools, this online news medium, also gathered that there are allegedly limited number of schools in the local government area to serve the student population notwithstanding the fact that the area boasts of persons occupying prominent positions in the state.
While residents of Abak who acknowledge the importance of education as one of the major means of eradicating poverty in the society as well as earning a better living in future, still allow their wards to go through the hardship by learning under trees and detached roofs especially with the scorching harmarttan sun, it is however surmised and sad that government funds meant for the development of the area are been swindled through representatives and implementing agencies as it is clearly evident that there exist no proper documentation or explanation of the use of most funds allocated for projects in the area.
