Anambra State has reaffirmed its dominance in Nigeria’s education sector, clinching nine major honours at the 2025 President’s Teachers and Schools Excellence Awards, despite recent negative ratings from Philips Consulting Limited (PCL).
Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo’s Chief Press Secretary, Christian Aburime, in a statement, said the latest national recognition has effectively discredited the “flawed and misleading” Philips Consulting report that ranked Anambra low in educational development.
The awards, presented at the Eagles Square, Abuja, by the Minister of Education, Dr. Olatunji Alausa, spotlighted Anambra’s exceptional performance across both public and private school categories.
Leading the state’s impressive haul, Woliwo Primary School II, Onitsha, emerged as the overall best school in Nigeria, receiving a 16-seater bus as the star prize. Pinkberry International School, Odume Obosi, was named first runner-up for best approved private primary school, while its teacher, Nkechi Ikedi, also clinched first runner-up in the best private school teacher category.
In the senior secondary category, Emmanuel Ndibe of St. Theresa’s Secondary School, Enugwu Ukwu, was recognised as first runner-up for best approved private senior secondary school teacher.
The state’s public schools also shone, with Government Secondary School (GSS), Ojoto, earning the first runner-up award for best public junior secondary school in Nigeria.
Other awardees include Cosmas Nwata of Igbariam Farm Settlement Primary School (first runner-up, best public primary school teacher); Amaka Ubaka of Prince Memorial Secondary School, Onitsha (best public senior secondary school administrator); Okafor Ngozi of Community High School, Nkwelle Ezunaka (best public junior secondary school administrator); and Edozieobi Nnenna of Model Primary School, Akabor Ojoto (best public primary school administrator).
Each awardee received a laptop in recognition of their outstanding contributions to education.
Aburime said the achievements were the direct outcome of Governor Soludo’s transformative policies, including free education from nursery to JSS3, extended to SS3 in 2024, resulting in a 50 percent increase in public school enrolment and a reduction of out-of-school children to 2.9 percent, the lowest in Nigeria according to UNESCO (2023).
He also noted that the recruitment of over 8,000 teachers in Soludo’s first two years, along with massive investment in infrastructure and technology, has strengthened the foundation for excellence across the state’s schools.
“These results are empirical proof that Anambra’s education sector is not declining but soaring,” Aburime stated. “The Philips Consulting report, which ranked Anambra 33rd, was based on a questionable methodology — a tiny sample of just 78 respondents, mostly male, with no field visits or stakeholder engagements.”
He added that while critics rushed to amplify the misleading report, Anambra continues to dominate nationally and internationally, citing recent global achievements such as winning the 2023 International Debate Championship in Malaysia, securing gold at the 2024 World Affairs Challenge, and producing the highest UTME scorer in 2025, Okeke Chinedu Christian, with 375 points.
Aburime urged Ndi Anambra to remain vigilant against “microwave propaganda” and politically motivated misinformation as the state approaches its November governorship election.
“Anambra is rising under Governor Soludo’s visionary leadership,” he concluded. “The facts speak louder than propaganda — our education system is thriving, not failing.”
