The State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Mr. Patrick Ukah, reiterated the determination of the Okowa-led administration to improve school facilities in the state to ensure effective teaching and learning in the school system.
Mr. Ukah stated this in Asaba, when the management of the Command Secondary School, Mbiri, Ika north east local government area of the state, led by it’s Commandant, Major Thomson Udom, paid him a courtesy visit recently.
While recalling that the state government had been investing so much in the education of the children in the state, the Commissioner decried the negative attitude of some individuals who embark on the destruction of school facilities.
The Basic and Secondary Education Commissioner, urged the advocacy committees set up by his ministry in various communities and other stakeholders to prevail on their children to own the facilities and shun unnecessary vandalism.
He disclosed that the ministry would soon come up with a policy that once a child is admitted into school, he or she would be assigned to a particular desk in order to track their role in the destruction of items belonging to the school.
Mr. Ukah said that the ministry would soon embark on vigorous repairs of chairs as it was cost-effective to do so than purchasing new ones, stressing that the ministry would partner with the management of Command Secondary School, Mbiri, to improve their facilities when resources were available.
The Education Commissioner, assured the Commandant that the ministry would evaluate its relationship and policy with the school with a view to ascertaining the reason behind the withdrawal of state teachers from the school in the past.
He affirmed that with the establishment of new schools by the present administration the number of teachers in the state is grossly inadequate.
Earlier, Major Udom informed the Commissioner that they were in his office to appreciate the state government for its contributions towards the upgrading of the infrastructure in the school as well as to familiarize himself with the ministry.
Major Udom, who enumerated the facilities the Okowa administration had supported the school with to include the provision of hostel accommodation, classroom blocks, generating set and provision of bolehole, among others, appealed to the Commissioner to deploy some state government teachers to the school and consider teachers in the school for training.
