THE Governor of Cross River State, Ben Ayade, on Wednesday, inaugurated a Teachers Continuous Training Institute in the Biase Local Government Area of the state.
The institute, which, according to a Wednesday statement, is one of the legacy projects of the Ayade administration, was set up to train and retrain teachers.
Speaking during the unveiling, Ayade explained that the institute was envisioned to provide a platform for teachers to be celebrated and honoured.
The governor said, “This school represents the fountain of knowledge in character, intellect, learning and relearning and poise of the people.
“The intent was to create a horizon for students to learn and become amazons in their endeavours. Therefore, this school was designed to improve the quality of learning and improve the knowledge of teachers in the country.
“The good news is that once a teacher goes through the first three months, then six months, and finally nine months of training, and gets certified in West Africa, that teacher gets upgraded and earns befitting salaries because they can now impact extraordinary knowledge.”
Ayade added that the choice of the location of the institute, which is the local government of his deputy, Ivara Esu, is to honour Esu for his loyalty and dedication as the state’s Deputy Governor.
He said, “For eight years, he (Esu) provided a shoulder for me to lean on. He is a professor who has taught people who are now professors today.
“There are some deputies who cannot point at anything they did for their people for eight years, but here you are standing tall before your people.”
The elated Deputy Governor, after whom the institute was named, was a one-time Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar.
He said, “Today l am the happiest man because of the establishment of this institute here in Biase. I want to say to my brother, friend, and son, (Senator) Professor Ben Ayade, thank you so much. My relationship with you will be for life. As l retire, l retire very happily to my village.
“This institute is the gateway to Biase and we are very happy that this institution is in Biase.”
