The committee set-up by the Delta State Government to look into the transfer of schools to their former owners has recommended the return of 40 secondary schools to the missions and communities.

  Submitting the report, the Chairman of the Committee, Bishop Jonathan Edewor said the decision to handover only 40 schools out of the 405 secondary schools in the state was reached after careful consideration of the request made by stakeholders.

  He said particular attention was given to the fears expressed by the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) and Parents Teachers Association (PTA) over the welfare of the staff of such schools.

  Bishop Edewor said the exercise should be done in two ways namely full handover with adequate grant and secondly partnership with school owners where government pays salaries and wages while proprietors manage the schools.

  Explaining further, he said “The partnership will be between the former owners and state government in which government pays the salaries and wages of staff while the proprietors manage the schools.”

  The bishop noted that the committee recommended a gradual handover process which will span over one year so that the state government could establish parallel schools in areas where schools are to be handed over to allay the fears.

  The 11 man committee expressed the hope that the recommendations would be implemented so that the protracted debate on the issue would move to the next level.

  In a brief remark, the state governor assured Deltans that his administration would look into the committee report and implements it quickly to put to rest the protracted issue of schools handover.

  His words “l assure you and Deltans that the state government will quickly work on the report and implement it.”

  The governor explained that government alone cannot successfully carry out the onerous task of ensuring excellence in the education industry and would partner with schools to achieve the objectives set for the industry.