Education
Special School Decries Lack Of Laboratory, Library
Principal of the Senior
Secondary, Special School for handicapped children, Borikiri, Mr. Fredrick Igbanibo Amachree, says amongst the numerous challenges faced by the school, lack of science laboratory and library stand out.
Amachree, who disclosed this in an exclusive interviewlast Friday, stated that lack of these facilities has deprived the school from being chosen as a centre for Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination and National Examination Council (NECO).
“A Senior Secondary School”, he said, I requires a science laboratory, and for a special school, we also require resource room for the blind and other facilities which are required in the Management of Special education”. So, we need the government to come to our aid.
Explaining why the school, which was established in 1985 did not have these facilities, the principal said for 17 years NECO occupied the space meant for the facilities.
“Our challenges are many, but one of the most pressing challenge we used to have was the presence of NECO, which has come to an end.
“Now NECO has moved out while they were here we had no accommodation for our science laboratory, library, staff and resource room for the blind. Now that NECO has moved out, the challenge is how to convert the available space to laboratory, library,” etc, he said.
Another key challenge the school has, according to the principal, is in terms of incentives to special teachers in form of special allowance, which he said, is done in other part of the country.
“Since 1985 when the school was established, the government has not paid any special allowance to the teachers. In other states, special educators are paid special teachers allowance in varying percentages, with the state government deciding on the percentages”, he said.
“There is also the challenge of lack of desks for the students, which he said was last provided by the state government”, about 15 years ago.
Mr. Amachree used the opportunity to call on the state government to consider building the capacities of staff of the school through in service training and other training, locally and abroad.
“Special education is a fast-moving science field. All the time there are innovations, new introductions to existing knowledge, hence it needs to be updated regularly,” he said, adding that “this is not the case in our own school”.
Beyond these, the principal said the school also needs customized computers to enhance teaching and learning in special schools”.
“We will also need the government to look at providing us with customized computers, computers that are fitted with Job Access with Speech (JAWS), which enables blind users to have access to the computer,” he said.
To enhance the work of the office of the principal, Mr. Amachree also appealed to the government to provide a vehicle for the office.
Sogbeba Dokubo
The Acting Vice Chancellor of Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Port Harcourt, Prof. Okechuku Onuchuku, emphasised the need for students to go beyond academic achievements during the university’s 43rd Convocation ceremony.
The theme, “The University Culture In Practice, The IAUE Experience,” highlights the importance of embracing cherished traditions and intellectual values that define great universities.
Prof. Onuchuku encouraged the new graduates to work hard and persevere, noting that their convocation marks a new beginning in their careers and personal lives. He emphasised that they must prove themselves worthy of the certificates and prizes they have received.
According to him, out of 2,887 first-degree graduands, four made First Class, 403 secured Second Class Upper, 2,030 got Second Class Lower, and 450 graduated with Third Class. Additionally, 1,492 postgraduate students graduated, including 306 PhD holders.
The Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (Rtd), praised the university’s commitment to academic excellence and institutional maturity. He commended the Acting Vice Chancellor for achieving full accreditation for 47 academic programmes and implementing the NUC’s Core Curriculum Minimum Academic Standards.
The administrator urged the new graduates to uphold the positive values instilled in them by the university and strive for continuous knowledge and improvement.
By: King Onunwor
The Niger Delta Students Union Government, Rivers State Chapter (NIDSUG), has suspended its planned protest against the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) state office in Port Harcourt. The suspension followed an intervention by the state Commissioner of Police, CP Olugbenga Adepoju.
The students had planned to protest on Thursday, citing alleged neglect by the NDDC, particularly in welfare and capacity-building programmes for students from the state. However, after the police intervention, the students agreed to participate in a roundtable discussion with the commission to address their concerns.
NIDSUG leader, Comrade Loveday Njoku, expressed dissatisfaction with the commission’s alleged exclusion of students from benefiting from its programmes. He presented a seven-point demand, including the reintroduction of scholarships for undergraduate and postgraduate students. Njoku emphasised that education is crucial for community development and urged the commission to invest in the future leaders of the state.
The students warned that if their demands are not met, they will resume the protest and occupy the state commission office until their demands are addressed. Despite previous attempts to reach out to the commission’s management team, the students claimed their efforts were unsuccessful.
By: Akujobi Amadi
As part of efforts to improve the welfare and overall quality of education for students in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, the Sole Administrator, Sir (Dr.) Clifford Ndu Walter DSSRS, FCAI, JP, paid an unscheduled visit to Universal Primary School, Rumukwurusi.
During the visit, Sir Walter expressed deep concern over the deplorable state of the school and its surrounding environment. He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to the development of the education sector, stressing its critical role in nation-building.
“I have visited the primary school in Ogbogoro, and now I’m here at the Universal Primary School, Rumukwurusi. I am not satisfied with what I’ve seen,” he stated, indicating that more surprise visits to schools would follow.
To address the issues, the Sole Administrator directed the Council Engineer to commence process for rehabilitation of the school.
The visit was part of a broader initiative aimed at conducting on-the-spot assessments of educational facilities to determine the level of intervention required by the local government council.
Dr. Walter also assured the teachers of his unwavering commitment to revamp the school and improve the learning environment for both staff and students.