As the global community commemorates the 50th Anniversary of the International Literacy Day, the Rivers State Deputy Governor, Dr Ipalibo Harry Banigo, says the reintroduction of boarding system in public schools by the state government was designed to restore moral discipline and academic excellence in the educational system.
In a statement through her Press Secretary, Paul Damgbor, Banigo noted that most young people are engrossed in watching movies and other irrelevant activities at the expense of their academic exercise, which has negatively impacted on the quality of graduates produced in the country.
Banigo noted that in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)s) of 2030, the state government under the leadership of Chief Nyesom Wike has embarked on the reconstruction of Rumuokwuta Girls Secondary School, Obio/Akpor, Birabi Memorial Grammar School, Bori and Nyemoni Grammar School, Abonnema, which on completion, will serve as pilot boarding schools.
The deputy governor described the theme of this year’s celebration: “Reading the Past, Writing the Future” as apt, aimed at ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education that would promote life-long learning opportunity for both youth and adults.
She called for concerted effort from both the private sector and Non-Governmental Organizations in eradicating illiteracy among youths.
The deputy governor, who identified literacy as a foundation to building a sustainable future, said it was time for the Nigerian nation to start investing on the youth of the country, pointing out that it is only when this is done that the country will overcome its current challenges.
Meanwhile, Dr Ipalibo Harry Banigo says the strategic position women occupy in the society makes them an important factor in nation building.
Banigo stated this when members of Ignatius Ajuru University of Education Women Association (UEWA) paid her a courtesy visit at Government House, Port Harcourt, recently.
The deputy governor, who stressed the need for women to exhibit high degree of integrity and patriotism in any position they found themselves, disclosed that the Governor Nyesom Wike-led administration was working in partnership with security agents and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), with a view to checking the prevalence of drug abuse among young people which makes them more vulnerable to crime and criminality.
Banigo urged parents to prevail on their children to toe the path of rectitude, and advised them to shun negative tendencies in order not to ruin their destiny while encouraging women to always keep their environment clean so that they do not become breeding grounds for mosquitoes and rodents.
“We need to advise particularly women on personal and environmental hygiene and the risks of poor sanitary habit”, she stated.
Earlier, the President of the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education Women Association, Mrs. Josephine Nkem Joseph Kinanee, had said the focus of the body is capacity building, research, mobilization, advocacy, seminars and workshops in order to achieve the aims and objectives of the association.