From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi
Benue State Government has earmarked over 6 billion naira for the renovation of primary and secondary schools, even as there are over 2,000 illegal schools operating in the State.
The State Commissioner for Education and Knowledge Management, Rev. Frederick Ikyaan who disclosed this to Peoples’ Daily Weekend, explained that 5 billion naira is to be expanded on primary schools while the secondary schools will gulp 1 billion naira, adding that already contracts have been awarded and contractors mobilized to site.
He said thousands of primary schools that are in dilapidated state will be renovated while 16 secondary schools are already undergoing renovation under the first phase of work.
“I have assessed the high level of infrastructural decay. The degree of dilapidation of our schools buildings. The degree of rot in the system in both infrastructure and human resources. The spirit of service has waned, declined altogether.
“I have restructured the area education officer to make them like commissioners at the local government level. The people morale have been killed and dampened altogether.
“ In the cause of my visit to the outstations, the schools, head teachers and pupils, I have boosted their moral and told them what government want to do with a clear sense of political will demonstrated by the governor.
“We have also, started the renovation of our schools. We have started domesticating the new structure of education.
“Formerly, we operated 6-3-3-4 but there is a new system and in Benue State, we were waiting for the start of a new session. We have rolled out the new structure and working out functional ways of implementing it.
“ Under the new structure, education at the lower level has now been extended to 9 years of basic education which is segmented into 3 years of lower basic, middle basic and upper basic. Lower basic is previously primary 1-3, middle basic former 4-6 and upper basic JSS 1-3. And the certificate to be given is basic education certificate and no longer the Basic School Leaving certificate that we used.
“Amongst the gains is to give more visibility to the Primary education and terminologies are changing as we no longer call them pupils but learners, introduce entrepreneurial studies to them and bring the project of school to work. Learners from one to nine will be able to acquire skills even if they are unable to further their education after secondary school.
“With the skill acquired, they can function in the society even without collar jobs. We are also giving visibility and attention to technical schools.
“ The Governor has approved that the Government Technical College be relocated from BSU to give it more visibility, prominence and independence. No matter how rich this nation is, we need skills labor, artisans to prosper. 2024-2027 FG education roadmap we want to key into it to bridge the gap between those who cannot go to school and those who acquire skills.
“In our tertiary Institutions we do know that there is infrastructural deficit and we are addressing them through counterpart funds”, Rev. Ikyaan said.
Speaking on the relationship between the Education Ministry and Benue Education Quality Assurance (BEQA), he said BEQA’s DG, had invited stakeholders to a meeting and the subject of discussion was that of demolition of schools which he was opposed to.
“For instance, if we are going to demolish schools, we must have to take a memo to the State Executive council meeting to see reason why this should be done and secondly, it will still be referred to the State Assembly for ratification so that it is a state function.
“All the major stakeholders of government must be carried along. The security agencies especially the Police are usually carried along but the manner we wanted to do, they wouldn’t not have been carried along because it was like a hurried exercise.
“That is why we had to stop it not because we are fighting. I went out on inspection and had to seal three (3) schools in Guma local government area.
“The school is operating in a shanty in an environment that is dehumanizing and the building can cave in anytime. In fact, the building is sandwiched in-between ships while the other two(2) were unapproved schools which do not have certification.
“ It is going to be a continuous process because such schools are over 2,000. We intend to eradicate illegal schools completely from the State. We have embarked on schools census of schools and teachers to check quacks”, he stated.
