Bayelsa Govt releases N302m for WAEC/NECO fees

The Bayelsa Government has released N302 million for the payment of examination fees for students from the state for the 2012/2013 Senior Secondary School examinations conducted by WAEC and NECO.

Presenting the cheque to the Commissioner for Education, Chief Salo Adikumo, in Yenagoa on Tuesday, Gov. Seriake Dickson said that the money was also meant for the purchase of science materials in schools for the conduct of the May/June  examinations.

Dickson  reiterated his administration’s commitment to the revival of the education sector. He reminded parents and guardians that the state government, attached importance  to its free education policy for primary and secondary schools.

He urged education authorities to resist the temptation of extortion and racketeering, and called on the students to justify government’s investment in their education.

“We are making this public presentation in addition to the several investments we are making quietly in education so that the  students, principals, as well as parents and guardians and the general public will know that government is committed to free education policy.

“We do not want any guardian or parent to be cajoled by whatever means by anybody to go and spend money on this,” the governor said.

Dickson also inaugurated a nine-member Education Inspectorate Committee with Dr. Stella Ugolo, as chairman.

The committee is mandated to ensure that government policies and programmes in the education sector were effectively implemented.

Inaugurating the committee, Dickson said that apart from insufficient government attention and investment in the education sector, the absence of a credible inspectorate mechanism had contributed to declining standards in education.

“We need a robust inspectorate mechanism to support the work of the Ministry of Education. In those days when inspectors used to go round schools, everybody was sitting up, but today the story is different and that is what we want to address.

“You have to inspect the schools to ensure that the teachers themselves go to work and that the curriculum is right. You must ensure that teachers are committed and do have the skills to impart knowledge,” Dickson said.

He called on the committee to submit its preliminary report in two weeks and  promised to hold quarterly meetings with members. “Feel free to co-opt construction professionals that you will need as you go around.  Where you cannot move as a team, you may need to operate in groups to ensure that you can go around. “You are supposed to give us reports in terms of observance of policies and also let us know how various projects and contracts are being executed in the sector,”, he said.

In his remark, Adikumo commended the governor for giving priority attention to  education, describing it as the most powerful tool to turn around the fortunes of the state. (NAN)