By Admin
The Cross River State Government has officially flagged off the 2025/2026 Annual School Census, reaffirming its commitment to strengthening educational planning through credible and comprehensive data collection.
Performing the flag-off on behalf of Governor Senator Prince Bassey Edet Otu, the state official underscored the importance of the exercise as a critical tool for evidence-based policymaking, equitable resource allocation, and sustainable development within the education sector.
The event brought together Education Secretaries, Executive Secretaries, Education Management Information System (EMIS) Officers, representatives of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), the All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS), the Association of Public School Heads of Nigeria (AOPSHON), and other key education stakeholders from the state’s 18 Local Government Areas.
Addressing participants, the official conveyed Governor Otu’s unwavering commitment to transforming education through reliable data and effective policy implementation. He noted that Cross River State recorded an outstanding performance during the previous Annual School Census and challenged stakeholders to surpass that achievement by ensuring that every school in the state is captured through accurate, credible, and timely data collection.
He emphasized that quality education data remains the bedrock of informed decision-making, equitable distribution of educational resources, and attracting interventions from development partners, including the World Bank.
The official further disclosed that the Federal Ministry of Education’s digital monitoring platform will enable real-time tracking of each Local Government Area’s performance throughout the exercise, making accountability and prompt data submission critical to the census’s success.
He urged Education Secretaries, EMIS officers, school administrators, and other stakeholders to approach the assignment with dedication, professionalism, and a strong sense of responsibility, stressing that negligence and poor performance would not be tolerated.
He also appealed to proprietors of public and private schools across the state to cooperate fully with enumerators, assuring them that information gathered during the exercise would be used strictly for educational planning, policy formulation, and improved service delivery, rather than for punitive measures.
The state government expressed confidence that the successful conduct of the 2025/2026 Annual School Census would further consolidate Cross River State’s position as a leader in educational development while advancing the People First agenda of Governor Bassey Edet.
