RSG Backs FG’s School Feeding Programme …Warns Principals Against NECO Fee Hike …Pegs Fee At N11,350

The Rivers State Government has thrown its weight behind the federal government’s “Home Grown School Feeding Programme”.
Making the declaration yesterday during the opening of a two day stakeholders workshop on Home Grown School Feeding Progamme, the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike lauded the initiative.
Governor Wike, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Kenneth Kobani, stated that the programme as conceptualized by the Federal Government is timely.
“The Home Grown School Feeding Programme as currently conceptualized is indeed one that Nigerians have been waiting. This is because the most vulnerable in our society are the ones that suffer the most from social, and economic degradation.
“What this means is that children of the less privileged are those who can not find means to feed themselves. These are the ones that suffer most educationally”, he said.
According to the governor, the support to be given the programme is based on the  government ‘s quest to better the lives of Rivers people.
“The Rivers State Government supports and is willing to assist in the development of this programme. We realize that the programme affords us the potential to improve the lots of our people and Nigeria at large”, the governor said.
While also supporting the programme, the state Commissioner for Education, Prof Kaniye Ebeku, noted that the programme is an integral part of the federal government social investment programme intended to cater for the feeding of pupils in primaries 1-3 in public schools in Nigeria.
He explained that the programme is a 500 million stimulus package intended and spread in the 2016 budget of the Nigerian government.
The commissioner, however, expressed fear that as laudable as the programme is, it may not be feasible the way it is presented.
“It should be observed that there are glaring discrepancies or weakness on the conception of the prorgramme, especially as it it not holistic in approaches.
“More specifically, a situation where the federal government will only feed from primary 1-3 and expects states and local government to feed primary 4-6 is arguably a burdensome assignment on the states, taking cognizance  of the situation in which most states are unable to pay salaries’, he said.
Also speaking, the programme manager, National Home Grown Feeding Programme, Mrs Abimbola Adesanmi explained that the programme is about feeding children in primary schools with a meal per day.
She stated that, the federal government was committed to feeding the children per day from primary 1-3 with the cost of N70.00 per child.
According to her, Rivers  is the 24th states in which the programme has been introduced, while about seven states have commenced the programme.
Meanwhile, any state, she continued, that owns-up the programme will be given necessary fund to commence their own.
Similarly, the Ministry of Education has called on principals of state-owned secondary schools to ensure that the amount they collect as registration fee for the National Examination Council (NECO) is as approved by NECO
A statement by the state Commissioner for Education Prof Kaniye Ebeku, stated that in ensuring uniform payment of fees for the 2017 NECO examination, the ministry deems it necessary to officially announce the required amount.
“Registration fee for the examination as published by the National Examination Council (NECO) IS N11,350 only. Principals are authorized to collect only this amount of money from candidates or their parents or guardians and nothing more”.
The Commissioner added that stamp duty fee, logistic support fees and other charges, which may be re required to complete online registration, will be graciously provided to each principal by the government of Rivers State”
He urged parents and guardians to resist paying any charges or fee more that what NECO has already announced and to provide information on any principal found to be collecting more than the approved fee.
Ebeku used the opportunity to state in clear terms that any principal who is proven to have collected more than the authorized amount will be disciplined appropriately”.
He also pledged the ministry’s resolved to ensure that irregularities and illegalities are reduced to the barest minimum with regard to the examination

Sogbeba Dokubo