By Stephen Adeleye.
The Kogi State Government has again reaffirmed its commitment to revamping education and taking it to enviable heights in the state.
The State’s Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Hon. Wemi Jones, gave the assurance while speaking with newsmen on Monday in Lokoja as schools resumed in the state.
”As for us as Government, we will do everything that is required to revamp education in our state, and take it to the level that all of us will be proud and say we have done our best.
”To the glory of God under the leadership of His Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, our educational system is on correct footing.
”What we need to do now is to sustain and improve on the momentum we have achieved as far as academic activities are concerned,” he said.
He noted that one of the policy of education in the state was to always conduct ‘welcome test’ every first week of resumption as part of the Continuous Assessment (CA).
According to him, the idea is to ensure that students resume early.
He assured that a joint team from the Ministry and the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) would be visiting some schools to ensure that schools were back and running.
He urged the teachers to continue to do their best, considering the fact that the state government was in the process of concluding the recruitment of fresh 4000 teachers in the next one to two weeks,
He stressed that the government had gone very far with the recruitment exercise, saying it was in the process of final identification of who to employ in conjunction with the State Science Technical Education and Teaching Service Commission (STETSCOM).
He advised parents to give their wards the support and encouragement needed for them to excel in their academic activities.
He encouraged the students to know that they remained the only one that could help themselves, saying, ”they are the architect of their future.
”It is only the students themselves that can make a meaning out of every support they get from their parents and teachers”.
He, therefore enjoined them to study very hard, concentrate on their studies and put into practice what they were being thought.
Meanwhile, a visit by our Correspondent to some schools in Lokoja, revealed that there were low turnout of students due to flood that was currently ravaging some part of the confluence city.
The Principal of GYB Model Science Secondary School, Dr Yakubu Godwins, said the school has resumed and teachers were on ground, adding that the academic activities had started in earnest.
”However, we have the issue of flood which has affected the turnout of our students this morning.
”The teachers and non teaching staff who struggled to be here have to pass through some hectic process to find their way to school.
”We have also started seen some traces of flood in the school compound now but we hope it will reseat in the next few days”, he said.
Godwins, who doubles as the National Secretary, All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS), commended the Governor for the total infrastructural transformation that the school had experienced, and the ongoing teachers’ recruitment exercise.
Our correspondent also moved round some of the classrooms where teachers were seen teaching the available students.
One of the students, Faith Kubule, said she felt very excited for being back to school after the long holiday.
She thanked the governor for transforming and equipping their school to a great standard.
