An all-inclusive education policy is now underway in Rivers State, Commissioner for Education, Dr Tamunosisi Gogo-Jaja has said.
He told newsmen shortly after his ministry’s budget defence at the state House of Assembly in Port Harcourt, last Tuesday, that the Governor Nyesom Wike-led administration plans to give attention to both vocational, skill and special education for those with disabilities.
Gogo-Jaja noted that the N50billion allocated to education was an indication of the quest by the state government to accord education a pride of place with five per cent of its budget.
“The budgetary provision is commendable, if other states and the Federal Government will emulate this novel step, we will not be where we are today”, Gogo-Jaja said.
The state commissioner for education said the previous administration in the state did a cosmetic policy approach of building schools without facilities, and neglected public schools in the rural areas.
“This government inherited high-level of decay in public schools” the commissioner declared, adding that “few weeks ago, we were in Abua and the school was last renovated in 1978.
“Also, in Western Ahoada County Grammar School, one old student told us that the teachers’ quarters there were built in 1957”.
Going by the ongoing renovation and construction of new schools in the hinterlands, the commissioner said the Wike-led administration was to make sure human resources and capacity building of the citizenry were enhanced.
Meanwhile, the House Committee on Education chaired by Doctor Farah Dagogo has called on the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and Rivers State University to schedule for a fresh budget defense.
Dagogo called on the UBEC to bring details of its budget, and list of executed projects done in the past.
The lawmaker representing Degema Constituency also sought for the physical presence of the RSU Vice Chancellor, Prof Blessing Didia, who was represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor to defend the school’s budget estimates.