Pastor Agubisi Augustina O. Nee Agunyego, the Principal of Ado Girls’ Secondary School, Onitsha, granted an interview with InlandTown New Media. She is a native of Onitsha Ado n’ idu, from Ogbeoza village. Mrs. Augustina grew up in Onitsha and later obtained her B.Sc. in Health Education/Educational Management and policy.
During the interview with InlandTown New Media, She answered some questions pertaining to the challenges and development of Ado Girls’ Secondary School, Onitsha.
Pastor Augustina stated that, Ado Girls’ Secondary School, Onitsha, was founded in the year 1977, it bears the ancestral name of Ancient Onitsha Kingdom. That is why it is endeared to Onitsha people. The school is one of the fifty-five secondary schools commissioned on 3rd November 1977 by then Military Governor of Anambra State, Lt. Col John Atom Kpera. It is also one of the new schools founded in Onitsha to absorb the surplus girls’ population ready for secondary school education at that time. At the on-set, the school was planned to be sited very close to premier Brewery and Niger Bridge head along the express motor way.
However, as time went on, the founding principal Mrs. C.C. Ibeziako realized the unsuitability of the site for a Girls Secondary School. She lodged complaints to the state Ministry of Education and then to the commissioner of Education, Professor Odenigwe. Hence, on the 10th of November 1977, the school took off formally at one of newly built Model Primary Schools built by the Federal Government along Awka Road Onitsha. Inspite of all odds and absence of furniture of any kind either for the staff or students. Ado Girls’ Secondary School, Onitsha Started with initial population of one hundred and eighty students and three teachers namely: Mrs. F.C. Olikeze, Miss G.C. Erokwu and A.I Ozoh. She mentioned that nothing in particular made her have an interest in the secondary school, apart from that fact that it is located in her home town and her siblings attended there as well; the school is a ‘good name’ she said.
Going further, she revealed that she became the principal of Ado Girls’ Secondary School in February 2020; and that she wishes to take Ado Girls’ Secondary School Onitsha to the next level of Academic excellence. “I’m now achieving that by employing not only 24 PTA paid Teachers but volunteers who are 26 in number because the permanent Teachers are not enough to go round the teeming population of the school. I wish to raise girls with high sense of responsibility and the fear of God, girls who will stand out and shine amongst others, a school to be emulated by others and even after my retirement the legacy will still be there”.
As the principal of the school, she said, in a short while “I was able to reroof 3rooms out of 5 classroom blocks which had long been dilapidated. I renovated the teacher’s toilet and kept it in good other, fallen fences are now rebuilt. I provided 10 teachers tables and Chairs for the comfort of the Teaching staff. I bought a new sumo and changed the old dilapidated Tank with big plastic ones. My husband Sir Victor Agubisi, Chairman Police community Relations committee (PCRC) Area command Onitsha painted the frontage and external walls of the school. The PTA, Ezennia Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), Ozomma Obodoechina and Kpajie Nnamdi Ibegbu (SAN) helped us financially to achieve all these”.
The challenges the school faced were lack of Teachers, lack of adequate funds, poor infrastructure and an under equipped laboratory. Although solutions are already being put in place, they are nearly but not all solved. She said “5 permanent teachers were posted to us last month. I employed 26 volunteer teachers helping us plus about 24 PTA teachers. I provided 10 tables and chairs for teachers. My Brother, Nonso Areh is currently fighting tooth and nail to see what he can do to help out in the area of our science laboratories”.
The current issues the school faces are in connection with JSS 1 posting; “ASUBEB often gives us more than we can manage. This academic session they posted 1431 students to Ado Girls’ Secondary School, Onitsha. We planned to solved that by writing to ASUBEB to see us”.
Moving on, she revered that Governor Obiano’s administration has impacted the school immensely. He awarded MDG project for reroofing and repainting the upsets, she said “throughout the regime of Governor Willie Mmaduaburochukwu Obiano (Akpokue dike global) It was not heard that the state work force cried about non-payment of salaries. He is always on point, that is why we call him the alert Governor. He regarded the monarchs in the state hence he distributed 151 vehicles to them. Because he is education friendly, he initiated E-learning, WhatsApp/Online Teaching/learning, ABS on air Teaching/learning etc.”.
“Because of our governor’s administration, a lot of people from other states want to be associated with Anambra State”, she said.
INTERVIEWED BY: SOLABI OLUBUKUNOLA
INLANDTOWN
