Rivers And Quality Education Assurance Initiative

Visitors to Rivers State have always been amazed at the level of infrastructural development in the educational sector since the coming on board of the present administration. Not only are many of the schools totally rebuilt, new ones are built and provided with ICT equipment and modern sporting facilities. Children now go to school free of charge as even uniforms and books are provided by government.

All these go to show the premium placed on the training of the youth through the provision of modern schools. But as if these transformational gestures are not enough, the government in its bid to ensure high academic delivery went ahead to recruit 13,000 teachers to handle the pupils in keeping with the philosophy of the administration to lay solid foundation for the development of children.

Not leaving anything to chance, the government recently established the Rivers State Education Quality Assurance Agency, headed by a veteran educationist, Prof. Otonti Nduka to prescribe quality in the school system and ensure that standards are kept always high, so as to justify the resources being invested in the education sector of the state.

No one doubts that sound education is the main pillar on which any society thrives, hence the ploughing of resources into the sector finds ready commendation. To further buttress its willingness to give the children the best in terms of education, the recently recruited 13,000 teachers are undergoing quality orientation to equip them for the onerous task ahead.

The Tide

cannot but note the fact that the recruitment of the teachers was so  transparent that no one has had cause to cast aspersions at the integrity of the process. Even as some are still being shown the way out on account of certificate irregularities, the commitment to quality in the system is indeed heartwarming.

This is why we think that the coming on board of the Quality Assurance Agency is a welcome development. Though some may argue that it is a duplication of the functions of the inspectorate division of the education ministry, it is our firm belief that a wider view of the state of affairs in the education sector, which has been plagued with laxity, readily justifies the introduction of the agency.

However, it is our expectation that the agency would not deal only with public schools. In fact, more supervision is required at the private schools, where a majority of children in the state are being educated at the moment. The agency’s searchlight should extended to this sector which over time has thrown standards to the dogs. In spite of the use of sub-standard manpower in some of the schools, they charge astronomical fees that do not justify standards on ground.

Indeed, the quality of manpower, content of education and the participation in the national education agenda means nothing to many of them. Therefore, as we commend the Rivers State Government for the uncommon foresight in raising the quality assurance agency, we hope that in the years ahead, the wisdom behind this agency would be seen by all.

It would not help the cause of the State if current educational needs are sacrificed on the altar of arrangements made to satisfy a few political cronies. The education of our children is paramount to the extent that all the agencies charged with the advancement of the sector should be treated with sustained interest.

As arrangements are being made to recruit staff for the agency, we hope that the same level of openness demonstrated in the recruitment of teachers recently will be replicated. Indeed, the sector is in dire need of officers who are not only grounded in the field, but filled with the desire and potential to cause a quick change in the sector.

Finally, we hope that the agency will be able to provide a clearing house for the academia in the State. A situation where the system cannot ascertain the number of government recognised schools or able to ensure minimum standard is not the best. Indeed, that many schools operate only in name, while the First School Leaving Certificate Examinations are not done in private schools calls for concern. The areas to cover are indeed wide.