|
Wednesday, 07 January, 2009 06:53 pm
|
You are here:Home
| Revive the Dwindling Quality of Education in Public Schools in Delta State |
|
|
| Tuesday, 23 October 2007 | ||||||
     Dr. Emmanuel Ewetan Uduaghan, The Executive Governor, Governor’s Office, P. M .B. 5001, Asaba, Delta State Dear Sir, REVIVE THE DWINDLING QUALITY OF EDUCATION IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN DELTA STATE It is no doubt that one of the greatest legacy that can be left for any future generation is education. It is the transfer of knowledge to develop basic skills that would bring about growth and sustain posterity. Therefore, the quantity and quality of such educational trend will determine how viable our future generation will turn out, especially at the foundation level of primary and secondary schools. In the case of Delta State, the educational system at the foundation level in public schools is somewhat pathetic and urgently needs a facelift. The previous Honourable Commissioner for Education in Delta State, Mrs. Veronica Ogbuagu, deserves applause for her past crusade at putting sanity in the state’s educational system. This is coming from the hills that, she performed credibly well and better than her predecessor, our Ighoyota Amori, the powerful politician of Delta State. In her relentless fight at stopping educational malpractices in the state, she has a very high record so to say. However, a close look at the education sector in Delta State may doubt the authenticity of Amori’s fence display and Ogbuagu’s camera works. Little or nothing has been achieved to reawaken the state government owned primary and secondary schools in the state. For instance, during the Ibori’s first four years in government, and Amori as the then Commissioner of Education in the State, we had schools without basic learning facilities like: seats/desks, good chalk boards, toilet facilities, dilapidated buildings as classrooms, leaking roofs and many more, but yet, they go about ‘fencing’ these schools. These basic learning items were still not addressed adequately in Ogbuagu’s era. She was busy pursuing private schools while the public schools were neglected to rot. There was an attempt by her administration to improve education in Delta State, but the real problems were not solved. The public schools are still left in shambles. Though there was achievement in the war against examination malpractices, and going around with cameras, telling the public they were working. The main crux of the problems was not handled. You will discover that, most of the government owned primary and secondary schools are still in ruins. Aside the problems mentioned above, these schools have nothing to write home about. If not all, most of the schools run by state government have no writing materials or even appropriate records like diaries / registers, no libraries for the pupils and students to equip their brains, no laboratories for the students to engage their minds in research and experiments, no chairs and tables for students and teachers. The situation is even worst in the rural areas, where teachers only go to their schools to collect pay slips at the end of the month. While the practice in the townships, is for the teachers to abandon classrooms for their stores and sales at Igbudu-Warri market and Warri Main market. (Even with the firm stance of Code of Conduct Bureau on civil servants running any business outside office work). What happens to our children, youths, if this trend should continue? It therefore shows that the past leaders of the education sector in the state were not sincere with their projects. One of their interests then was to war against private schools, who they believed had competitive tendencies and this made them uncomfortable. The public schools were left to decay the more; it was just a display of shadow instead of addressing the real substance of education in the public schools. Imagine conditions placed on some children to come to school with packets of chalk before they will learn. Let us note that the children of the poor masses, who cannot afford the private schools with good standards, have no other choice but to go for the public schools. This becomes the only hope for the common man to give good education to their wards. Some of those that can afford the money to send their children outside the state to schools elsewhere, do so not because they really like it, but because of the ‘state’ of the public schools in Delta State. We will not be mincing words to say that public schools in Delta State have become breeding grounds for thugs, militants, cultists, drug addicts, area boys and so on. What do you expect from schools where discipline cannot be upheld because of the deteriorating learning environment. In Ekredjebor Community in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State, pupils hold their classes in private rooms of indigenes who feel the urge and importance of education; this then stretches primary one to six classrooms to about ten (10) different houses within the community. This is just one of the numerous communities in Delta State where the state government through the Ministry of Education has done practically nothing. In Uvwie, Ugborikoko Secondary School, along Airport road is over populated, how best can one explain that a classroom has up to 160 students? No enough chairs, no tables; even if these facilities were made available, the population would have over stretched same. How does one expect a teacher to control a crowd of 160 students/pupils in one class? The story is the same in the staffrooms, this is not conducive for the transfer of knowledge. One peculiar primary school is Ikegbuwa primary school, this is because it is right opposite Mrs. Ogbuagu’s private residence at Ajamimogha, Warri. This school does not have chairs for both staff and pupils; until Vmobile while mounting its mass within the place donated chairs, toilet facilities and sank a borehole. Among these pathetic schools that deserve urgent attention is a primary school opposite Dr Esiri’s residence/clinic along Cemetary road in Warri. Honestly, we believe no family with an average standard of living and understands what it means to have qualitative education will not want their children to attend public schools in this state; we emphasise this includes our dear past leaders in the education sector. With the new government in place, one expects something to have been done. The present Honourable Commissioner for Education in Delta State, Mrs. Elizabeth Titi Uvoh-Gardener did not start well considering her high profile. We believe she has been in the system, therefore, we expect some basic facilities be provided for public schools in the state. But the situation is still the same. We believe she has enough time in office to do something. Though it’s early to start drawing conclusions, some of the basic learning facilities and issued can be addressed urgently. Items like providing chalk, teaching aids and administrative materials, chairs/desks and so on are minor details for the present Honourable Commissioner for Education in Delta State to handle. We urge Mrs. Uvoh-Gardener to give priority to uplifting and reviving the standard of government owned schools in areas highlighted above, just as we had in the past before things went down the drain. If the quality of government-owned schools is improved upon, no parent will bother to patronize privately-owned schools, as government schools would be cheaper and affordable The basic reason why parents are scared of sending their wards to government-owned schools is the bitter truth of what was mentioned earlier; these are grooming grounds for criminals. That is why they opt for private schools. Let us not forget that some of these schools like Government College, Ughelli and Hussey College, Warri amongst others, were very good schools in those days. These schools produced prominent Nigerians like Alex Ekwueme, Gamaliel Onosode, late Prof. Frank Ukoli, Fred Brume and so on. Today, it is an entirely different story; only children from a very humble, as in low background attend these colleges, with the possibility of a blank future staring ahead of them. As a matter of urgency, government schools in the state must be cleansed. The practice of bribing with outrageous amount that is almost four (4) months salary before being employed to teach in the state primary and secondary schools is tantamount to corruption. This practice has created room for quacks to go into the teaching profession. I have a sister who was refused teaching appointment in the state because she could not afford to bribe her way in, though fully qualified; she had to resort to work in a bakery. Some use front agents to get employed, in other words, one needs to be ‘connected’ no matter your qualification to be employed in the public schools. Others that were frustrated by this system were left with no option but to start home lessons, which they later converted/transformed to private schools. What are the Delta State public schools turning into? But all hope are not lost, we strongly believe the present government through the Honourable Commissioner for Education, Mrs. E. Titi Uvoh-Gardener will take this piece and act on it, to revive the falling quality of education in public schools in Delta State. With her impressive profile, her work when done rightly will speak for her. When people start withdrawing their wards for government-owned schools due to noticeable changes, then, the Commissioner’s efforts would have been crowned. It is on this note that we proffer suggestions (which we have been doing before) at boosting the education sector of Delta State: 1.The basic learning facilities in terms of infrastructure should be given appropriate attention. No child will learn comfortably in classrooms without desks to sit and write on, a roof over his head and a spacious classroom to enjoy ventilation. Teaching aids and learning materials like well equipped libraries, laboratories and so on should be provided. These items will help teachers to impart knowledge to the pupils/students 2.In the rural areas, great attention should be given to teachers. Teachers in such places should be given incentives to encourage them and attract others to go there. It is the absence of this that discourages many teachers to reside in these remote areas and practice their profession. Living quarters should be constructed in the premises of the public schools in the rural areas. If such quarters are provided with a standby generator and portable water, lots of teachers will be encouraged to remain in the rural areas. Even the school premises of such rural areas should be made comfortable for students and teachers to stay without moving. More classrooms with good required learning facilities (and not mud classrooms) should be provided adequately. 3.The government, through the commissioner should make teaching jobs attractive, like some states are already doing in the country. An effective system should be initiated to ensure that qualified teachers are employed and prevent quacks from coming in through the back door. 4.Some of the existing facilities in these public schools should be improved upon and updated. The money used for fencing and painting should be used to better the ‘content’ of the school. Besides, the reason for building such fences is defeated when there is nothing in the schools to protect. 5.The free education policy should be implemented effectively. It should be qualitative enough to create a positive impact on the pupils/students. Not just paper work, but real dividends. 6.The issue of discipline should be inculcated strongly into the public schools. Every student in the secondary schools should be liable to get appropriate punishment for any wrong act committed. That of not canning is not acceptable, because we are not in Europe. Except where a child is ill, then the teacher can resort to something else. Not doing this is creating the room for the youths to be a threat to society. In those days, a student can be expelled and his name published to deter others from admitting same, when he breaks school rules or involve in cult activities. Also, the morning activities of such schools should be observed by government invigilators, like the assembly ground, what activities take place? Teachers should also be checked in the areas of lesson plans, attendance register and other schools records. The inspectors should be vibrant and pay unscheduled visits to schools. 7.Schools should be established in the rural areas (especially primary schools) where they do not exist. For example some communities in Urhobo areas like Iwhrekan community in Ughelli South local government area do not have any primary school despite their large population. And this has made the children living there, to trek long distance to other neighbouring communities to go to school. Also, the riverine areas of the Ijaw and Itsekiri’s communities suffer the same plight of non-existence of any primary school. This situation should be addressed adequately to at least provide the elementary aspect of education 8.The primary and secondary school calenders should be uniformed both for private and public schools. Nobody understands the school calenders anymore. Parents find it difficult to check and regulate their children’s movement. Some children lie to the parents about school events and roam off to somewhere else. One way to ensure uniformity amongst schools is to pay promptly, salaries of teachers to avoid an industrial action. The suggestions above are not conclusive in themselves; we believe there is room for more. But if the above are strictly adhered to, it will speak volumes for the education sector in Delta State. It is not the duty of the state governor, Dr Emmanuel Ewetan Uduaghan, to personally visit these schools to assess their standards as well as infrastructural facilities, when there is a commissioner appointed to see to it. We think that Governor Uduaghan believes so much in the present Commissioner of education, Mrs. Elizabeth Titi Uvoh-Gardener, to have the ability and capacity to raise the standard of education in the state, hence his choice of picking her. We hereby charge Mrs. Elizabeth Titi Uvoh-Gardener to prove her worth. All well-meaning Deltans need and request for, is quality education for our children in the government-owned schools that is affordable by the common man. Zik Gbemre National Coordinator NIGER-DELTA PEACE COALITION  Quote this article on your site | Views: 539 | Print | E-mail
Write Comment
Powered by AkoComment Tweaked Special Edition v.1.4.6 |
||||||
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
