Education Summit Begins In Rivers, Today

A two-day Education Summit organised by the Rivers State Ministry of Education will commence today in Port Harcurt.

With the theme, “Enhancing Sustainable Development In Education,” the summit holds today and tomorrow in the Banquet Hall of the Government House, beginning 8.00am each day.

The summit would provide opportunity for stakeholders in the sector to brainstorm with the aim of finding sustainable solution on the way forward in the sector.

Godson Iroegbu, an educationist, who spoke to our correspondent said the summit is coming at a crucial time in view of the huge investment by the state government on the sector.

It is expected that such issues as poor monitoring of public and private schools in the state with the hope of finding good standard would come to the fore.

“The monitoring and supervisory roles of the ministry are poor, and if this all important aspect is not properly viewed, I’m afraid the passion of the governor and the huge investment might face more challenges,” he said.

A retired School Headmaster, Mr Iroegbu, blamed the inability of the ministry’s monitoring unit to do its work well for the rampant collection of all sorts of illegal fees in the public schools even when the state government is adopting free education policy.

Investigations by The Tide reveal that in some public schools, the teachers have not even concluded compilation of first term results and some pupils who refused to pay illegal examination fees are denied examinations while those who have completed the compilation exclude those who did not pay the illegal fees in the first term results.

“In finding sustainable development in the sector, there is need for uniform or domestication of curriculum in both private and public schools,” he said.

The educationist revealed that in some public schools, about eight subjects are being studied while their counterparts in the private schools study over twelve subjects.

We need a standard in the sector irrespective of whether it is private or public school”, he said.

The issue of exorbitant charges in private schools, quality of teaching staff and availability of facilities are to be considered also, The Tide gathered.

The summit, analysts believe, is vital and should be considered without bias so that the obvious passion of the state government and its huge investment on the sector would be sustained.

Big names across the nation, including Prof Wole Soyinka are expected to feature.

Chris Oluoh