By Stephen Adeleye.
The Kogi Government has advised parents and guardians to allow their children and wards to resume classes for the second term 2019/2020 Academic activities.
Mr Eric Aina, the Permanent Secretary, Kogi State Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, made the call after he led a team from the ministry to randomly monitor schools for resumption on Monday in Lokoja.
Aina also commended teachers in the state for their impressive attendance in schools and for immediately commencing teachings in their various classes.
“So far, we have randomly visited reasonable number of schools and we are satisfied with the turnout of teachers, but there were very low turnout of students.
“We are impressed with the attendance of teachers and we appreciate their efforts, we also implore them to intensify such efforts,” he said.
He expressed his disappointment over the low turnout of students and pupils in schools, and appealed to parents and guardians to release their wards to resume school as teaching has commenced.
The permanent secretary, however, expressed satisfaction with the turnout of students and staff at the Crowther Memorial College, saying some of the students were seen writing test on the day of resumption.
He urged other schools to emulate such initiative as a way of persuading students and pupils to always resume school on resumption date.
Speaking on the ongoing registration of students for the West African Examination Council (WAEC), Aina said the ministry had received reports that some principals were overcharging parents for WEAC registration above the ministry benchmark fee.
Aina warned that any principal or school caught to have engaged in such act would have to come forward to explain to the ministry the motive behind such act, and be made to face disciplinary measures.
At the Muslim Community Secondary School where the team held a meeting with the principal and members of staff, the Director of Quality Assurance of the ministry, Hajia Liman Mustapha, commended the the principal, Mr Yakubu Danladi, for his good leadership and the teachers for resuming school on time.
Mustapha stressed that the ministry had prioritised the issue of timely resumption to school, and delivery of quality standard education, as very critical.
She enjoined the teachers to make sacrifice and give their best to the students assuring them that they would surely be rewarded in due time.
Other schools inspected were:, Harmony Secondary School Lokoja, Saint Luke Primary School and Alhikmat Science Secondary School, Lokoja.
Earlier at the ministry, the permanent secretary addressed students who were proceeding on Exchange Program with other States such as Kwara, Niger, Benue and Nasarawa, to be of good behavior and make Kogi proud at their various host schools.
