The enduring infrastructure disparity between public and private schools in Delta State is gradually coming to an end with the inauguration of ultra modern primary and secondary schools in the state.
The traditional old schools structures and poor facilities in most public schools across the state are now giving way for ultra modern schools structures.
This was evident by the inauguration on Tuesday and Wednesday of about six secondary and primary schools that were in a state of disrepair in Warri, the commercial nerve centre of the state. The inauguration which was performed by Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan witnessed a large turnout of prominent indigenes of the area who expressed admiration for the laudable projects.
The education reform policy of the state government has turned over 50 public schools in the state into classic citadel of learning. At the inauguration of the schools, Uduaghan urged the teachers, pupils and students to keep the schools green and beautiful at all time. Worried over the way and manner the local government councils and communities were giving approval to people to use the government schools playground for all sort of events, the governor used the occasion to ban using the schools premises for social events.
The governor also abolished single educational programme in the state, saying the culture of separatism was over. “I attended a mixed secondary school and I believe very strongly in mixed school. We must teach our children to live together from a young age. I found out that when people who attended mixed schools grow older, they tolerate each other more, “ he said.
Uduaghan said as from September, the schools would no longer be singles and therefore, directed the Commissioner in charge of Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, Prof. Patrick Muoboghare, to begin the process of converting single public schools in the state to mixed ones. While inaugurating the four model primary and secondary schools, the governor charged the host communities of public schools to have a sense of ownership of the institutions and protect them against vandals.
He urged parents, teachers, pupils and students of the schools to reciprocate the government’s gesture by ensuring that the buildings, including the classrooms, fittings and the environment was maintained and always kept clean. Uduaghan warned residents against vandalising the schools properties, decrying the attitude of individuals who come into the schools to vandalise and desecrate them.
He specifically condemned the attitude of residents at the Alder’s Town Special School, saying the physically-challenged pupils and students in the school should be encouraged to attain their God-given potentials and not be discouraged.
At the prestigious Nana Model College, which is one of the 13 model colleges built by the Uduaghan-administration, the governor said plans were underway to start a foreign skills acquisition programme to enable youths from the state to acquire capacities abroad. “Apart from the schools we have here, very soon we shall be sending some of our young ones for skill acquisition outside this country, preparatory to the industrial revolution that is ongoing in Nigeria with Delta State as one of the key states under the Federal Government Programme of industrial revolution.
“We have other schools programmes but for us, education is the key. Without an educated society you cannot have development. “So we are concentrating on education not just health. Between health and education , we have a comprehensive human capital development programme for this state.
“From the primary school to the secondary, to tertiary school and to a larger part postgraduate, we are doing a lot in the area of education. “We have our scholarship schemes that we are giving out at every level. We also have our skill acquisition programme that is ongoing,” he said.
The Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Muoboghare, and his counterpart in Special Infrastructure, Mrs. Orezi Esievo, who spoke separately, expressed delight over the new look of the schools. Esievo said the schools were in a very deplorable state before government decided to renovate and rehabilitate them as part of the administration’s human capital development agenda to provide conducive learning environment in the state. Muoboghare said the 13 special model secondary schools were part of the governor’s desire to revolutionise the education system in tandem with his three point agenda.
Some of the schools inaugurated by the governor in the heart of Warri included; Olodi and Cavegina, Primary School, Ikengbuwa Primary School, Nana Priimary and Secondary Schools as well as Alders Special School. The Alder’s Town Special School is one of the most deplorable and desecrated school in the heart of Warri which has been given a facelift by the Uduaghan’s administration.
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