Chairman, Bayelsa State Universal Basic Education Board, Barrister Rhodesia Mie-Ebi Whyte has said that efforts are being made to give facelift to all primary and junior secondary schools in the state.

This, he said, the board will do by not only ensuring that they are functional and effective in service delivery, but also provide a conducive atmosphere of learning for teachers and their students.

Barrister Whyte, who stated this during an inter- ractive forum organized by the Federated Correspondents Chapel of the State Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists, said the board has awarded contracts for the provision of infrastructures, instructional materials, including renovation and building of new classrooms worth over N1.2 billion.

The chairman said in awarding the contracts, laid down principles, such as constitution of tender board and due process committee were followed. He denied allegations that all the contracts were awarded to the state lawmakers.

On the outcome of the biometric exercise, the chairman said the board is waiting for government’s white paper, but added that SUBEB is having a total of over 5000 academic, and 6000 non academic staff in its pay roll, which amounts to N600m as monthly salary.

The chairman said debts owed teachers in four local government areas have been paid, while the remain four would also received theirs in due course.

He disclosed that all the money being spent so far was 2006 fund that was accessed from the national board, while the process to get that of 2007, 2008, and 2009 are going on, saying that the delay was due to re-arrangement of work plan initiated by the state government.

The chairman said any person found to be sabotaging the free and compulsory education programme of the state would be sanctioned, saying that the task of educating the children is a challenge for all.

‘We believe in partnership, therefore, no suggestion or corrective opinion would be thrown away, provided it will assist us in the t ask ahead”, Barrister Whyte declared.