Montessori Kids School and De- pleasant School Asaba, the Delta State capital have been closed as Schools resumes the 2021/2022 academic session.
The State Commissioner for Basic and Primary Education, Chika Ossai, ordered the closure when he paid an unscheduled visit to public and private schools in the state.
The increasing rate of quakery and indiscipline in the education sector, spurred the state Primary Education Commissioner and his team to visit schools unannouced, to ascertain their approval status, quality of preparedness for teaching and learning in the new year.
The Commissioner and his entourage stormed Eliezer 357 Montessori Kids School at the Jesus Saves road, Asaba, which has about 15 students in the kindagerten and primary sections.
Honourable Ossai inspected all classrooms and after interacted with the proprietress, Mrs. Christiana bolaji, discovered that though the school had begun the approval process for its operation, the school structures and premises were built for residential purpose and not conducive for learning, especially for primary pupils and ordered the school’s closure till the needful was done.
The Primary Education Commissioner also visited De- pleasantfield school Asaba, a private school which operated creche, nursery and primary sections without a licence, and ordered it’s closure.
At the Oneh primary School I and II, and Ahabam primary school Asaba, Hon. Ossai decried poor resumption of pupils and vandalisation of school facilities, as only four pupils had resumed at Oneh Primary school two, even though all the staff were on ground to teach, while ceilings, doors and windows had been forced open by vandals.
Some pupils of the Ahabam primary school were seen carrying water in buckets from outside the school, with excitement, to clean their classrooms, in preparedness for the new school session, a situation Mr Ossai disapproved and directed Head Mistress to liase with the Parents Teachers Associstion, PTA, to carry out minor repairs on the borehole and other facilities in the schools.
At the Delight Academy Asaba, registered since 2015 , the Commissioner advised the Proprietor, Mr Ebimaro Anthony to improve the school environment and learning facilities to be more conducive for learning and to give parents value for their money.
A visit to some schools at Ogwashi Uku, Aniocha south local government area, including St. Henriette Montessori private school, and Onihe primary school, a government school, revealed that most of the government schools in the area relied more on the temporary teachers gotten from the community and the Federal Governments N-power programme, due to shortage of permanent Government teachers.
In an interview, Mr. Ossai said a task force has been set up by Government to work with communities to address the issue of vandalism, while underscoring the need to intensify advocacy, and for community leaders to protect government properties in their domains.
He said Governoor Okowa has invested much in the education sector, and enjoined parents to ensure that their children and wards got to school on time as Teachers are ready to work.
