Anambra 2025: Soludo urges teachers to expand roles beyond traditional teaching

By Vincent Ujumadu

Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, has called on academics and educators to expand their roles beyond conventional classroom teaching and become more engaged in research, innovation, and community service.

Speaking at the Higher Education Stakeholders’ Forum held at the Women Development Centre, Awka, the governor challenged the traditional view of academia as an isolated profession focused solely on teaching.

“As academics, you cannot afford the secluded prestige thing of just teaching. You must have the capacity to multi-task,” Soludo said.

“Integrating teaching, research, and community service into the academic framework—and placing particular emphasis on the latter—is crucial.”

The event, which brought together educationists, administrators, and policymakers, was also viewed as a show of solidarity for Governor Soludo from the academic community ahead of the November 8 governorship election in the state.

Highlighting the challenges facing educational institutions in developing societies, the governor maintained that educators could still excel across multiple domains if they recognized their wider social responsibilities.

“You can multi-task and still excel in all sectors,” he added. “It’s not just about publishing papers; it’s about translating knowledge into practical applications that solve real problems.”

Soludo urged academics to embrace their roles as agents of social transformation, promising to continue investing in education and human capital development across the state.

Delivering a keynote address, former Minister of Aviation, Chief Osita Chidoka, examined the critical link between education and national development. He commended Governor Soludo’s leadership, saying Anambra must remain focused on consolidating its educational reforms.

“The world is about to change,” Chidoka said. “Success is not about luck but about focus and perseverance. Education must be seen not as charity, but as a question of justice.”

He called for sustained investment in education and urged stakeholders to rally behind Soludo’s vision to deepen ongoing reforms in the sector.

In her remarks, Professor Kate Omenugha, Vice Chancellor of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, emphasized the need for leadership and introspection in education.

“Who is at the helm of affairs is important,” she said. “As educators, we must be leaders of thought, committed to building—not destroying—institutions for future generations.”

Also speaking, Professor Casmir Ani praised Governor Soludo’s education reforms and urged academics and residents to continue supporting the administration’s policies and vision for a stronger, knowledge-driven Anambra.

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