The Rivers State Ministry of Education has organised a three-day capacity workshop  on school-based management.

The workshop with the theme: “Developing the Capacity of Major Stakeholders on the Concepts and Practice of School-Based Management” was kicked-off by the Rivers State Commissioner for  Education, Dame Alice Lawrence – Nemi, at the Model Primary School, Elekahia in Port Harcourt, recently.

Addressing  participants at the ceremony, Dame Lawrence–Nemi said the aim of the workshop was  to equip  the stakeholders in education sector on the concepts and practice  of school-based management.

The commissioner revealed that the workshop was also organised on the need to involve the local communities in the management of schools saying that communities  would start managing their schools.

According to her, this is the one  thing that Governor Chibuike Amaechi has  introduced into our schools, which is school-based  management.

“This would include the old boys, retired teachers and members of Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) who would look after the schools and notify the state government when the teachers  do not come to work”.

Since the inception of  His Excellency, Governor Chibuike Amaechi as the Governor of Rivers State, education sector, she said, has received enough attention  from the government.

Her words: “Since 2008 till date, education sector in Rivers State has witnessed total transformation with high level of infrastructure been put in place with the state-of-the-art model primary and secondary schools across the state as well as  training of teachers”.

The objectives of school-based management according to the Education Boss is to  enhance school governance for effective education service delivery as well as promote mechanisms  for accountability in the school system.

“This means ensuring that public officials, community members and voluntary organisations  involved in education delivery are answerable for their actions and there are redress mechanisms, if duties and commitments are not met”, she maintained.

She emphasised that the concept  and practice of school-based management would promote and support schools to achieve set targets and benchmarks to yield  better learning outcomes for children. The Commissioner who insisted that it will create greater awareness and provide feedback to the larger community on issues that have to do with school governance, management and regulations stressed that it would facilitate support for the disadvantaged group within the school community.

Also speaking at the ceremony, a participant, Chief Moses Adiela, acknowledged that the school-based management committee would stabilise school management in the state.

Chief Adiela, who is also the chairman of Nigeria Union of Teachers(NUT) Rivers State branch, noted that the system is the only way to maintain infrastructure that the state government has provided in  the schools.

Participants include education secretaries in the 23 local government  areas of the state, members of State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Head Teachers, Nigeria  Union of Teachers (NUT), Community Leaders and Principals of Secondary Schools.

Eunice Choko-Kayode