•Says attendance satisfactory
By Stanley Onyekwere
As schools resumed yesterday for third term of 2022/2023 academic session, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has assured that measures are in place to ensure safety and more space for students and teachers to perform optimally in educational institutions in the Territory.
Also, the FCTA described the rate of resumption across the schools for the conclusion of the academic year as satisfactory, given the high number of students in attendance during the first day of school.
While making this assertion during school resumption inspection to select schools in Karshi axis of Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), the FCT Secretary for Education, Hon.Sani Dahir El-Katuzu said the FCTA has doubled its effort to tackle insecurity and overcrowding in schools, in order to improve learning in the FCT.
El-Katuzu, who led FCTA education management team round 4 schools namely: Government Secondary Schools, Junior Secondary School, LEA Primary School, and Vocational Training Centre, all in Karshi as well as Loyola Jesuit College, Gidan Mangoro, respectively, however, noted that a lot still needs to be put in place, because the security of property and lives is most important to the society.
He said already, contract has been for the award of installation of critical facilities in schools including not only surveillance cameras, but even alarm systems whereby if anything happens, there should be a trigger from the school that lets security operators around to know that something is happening within the school premises.
The Secretary added that always, the pressing problems are related to congestion in the schools especially public schools, as there are so many students in so little space.
According to him: “Resumption generally is satisfactory, only in the Primary school in Karshi that we met scanty attendance, but all other schools visited have fully resumed as school activities are progressing wonderfully.
“We need more hostels, classrooms, better furniture and retraining of our teachers, so as to cope with modern requirement. These are the challenges we face.
“We have to provide the space required for educating our young lads, otherwise, we are not planning for our future. So it is a matter mandate not thinking, but sometimes we are constrained by resources.
“And you know government has a lot of things to spend money on, but it will do us a lot of good if the government could spare a little to improve the provision of these materials in schools”.
On the issue of insecurity, he said: “ a lot of measures have been taken by the government to protect both staff and students in our educational institutions, but a lot still needs to be put in place, because the security of property and lives is most important to the society.
“The improvement in the number of security men guarding our schools and provision of gadgets especially the installation of alert system that would alert security operators surrounding the schools is commendable.
“We have already given contract for the award of installation of these facilities in schools including not only surveillance cameras but even alarm systems whereby if anything happens, there should be a trigger from the school that lets security operators around to know that something is happening within the school premises. We have already engaged people on it.”
On expanding facilities for vocational training, he noted that modern requirement or trend in the world is skills based more than the academics that are offered in most of the schools.
“Our vocational schools are very narrow as the space is too narrow for our requirement, and we need to expand them. So, we should improve on our vocational training, as that is what is bow invoke, and it is what we should involve ourselves with.”
Earlier, Principal Government Secondary School, Karshi, Yahaya Muhammad, revealed that out of the population of over 2,000 students, 662 students are on ground on the first day of resumption.
He added that all the teachers are around and all the staff are ready to go ahead with the teaching and other learning activities in the school.
He also disclosed that the school is earmarked for total renovation, in order to improve its learning condition for optimal performance.
Similarly, Principal, Junior Secondary School, Karshi, Mrs Rose Onoja, said there is a lot of improvement in the current school resumption as it is impressive.
She added that out of 1,800 students in the school, over 800 students reported to the classrooms for academic activities on the first day of school resumption.
On his part, Principal Loyola Jesuit College, Reverend Father, Chikere Ugwuanyi, said the visit by the FCTA officials was a welcome development as it ensures that what the school is doing is in the tune with the educational vision and aspiration of Nigeria.
Not left out, Director, FCT Department of Quality Assurance, Mrs Magdalene Uzoanya, noted that adequate budgetary allocation or appropriation is what will enable to facilitate measures to improve quality education in public institutions.
