…as Anambra Public School Clinches Top National Award Under Soludo’s Leadership.
AWKA, NIGERIA – The iNews Times | Anambra State’s public education system has earned national recognition, with a public school in Woliwo, Onitsha clinching the Overall Best School in Nigeria at the prestigious President’s Teachers and Schools Excellence Award. The achievement is a landmark validation of Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo’s bold reforms in the state’s public education sector.
Announcing the victory, Mazi Ejimofor Opara, a public affairs analyst and education advocate, described the award as “confirmation that Soludo’s free education policy is not only inclusive but deeply qualitative.”
“This is not just a win for Anambra,” Opara said, “It is a resounding endorsement of Governor Soludo’s vision for public education, a vision that dares to turn the least into the best.”
When Governor Soludo assumed office in 2022, Anambra’s public-public schools – those fully owned and operated by the state were largely in a state of collapse. Many were underfunded, structurally dilapidated, and critically understaffed. Prior to his reforms, public schools were often seen as a last resort, rarely competing with mission or private institutions.
Anambra has four recognized categories of schools:
• Public-Public Schools: Owned and managed by the state government
• Public-Mission Schools: Owned by communities, managed by religious missions
• Mission (Parochial) Schools: Owned and managed entirely by churches
• Private Schools: Privately owned and operated
Of these, only the public-public schools fall directly under the management and funding of the state government. The fact that a school in this category– one offering free education to children of low-income families could win a national competition, beating elite private and mission schools across the federation, marks a profound shift in the education narrative of the state.
“This is the same category of schools that used to be overlooked, ignored, and dismissed as incapable of excellence,” Opara noted. “But under Soludo’s leadership, a silent revolution is taking place, one that is equipping children from humble backgrounds with the tools to compete globally.”
The award signals that despite an exponential rise in enrollment due to the state’s free education policy, learning quality in public schools has not dropped, a feat many deemed impossible.
Governor Soludo’s approach has positioned education as a tool for equal opportunity. By removing the cost barrier, the administration has democratized access, ensuring that children of the poor are no longer locked out of the future.
Observers say the recognition is also symbolic of Soludo’s larger developmental blueprint– one that draws inspiration from the Asian Tiger model, particularly Taiwan, where investments in human capital development transformed a modest economy into a global technology powerhouse.
“With this win, Anambra has taken another step in its journey to becoming the Taiwan of Africa,” Opara declared. “Governor Soludo has not only restored dignity to public schools, he has built a legacy that will define generations.”
As momentum grows behind Soludo’s transformation drive, the message is clear: public education in Anambra is no longer a consolation prize. It is now a launchpad for greatness.
