Determined to put illegal schools out of circulation from the next academic session as well as improve standard, the Rivers State Government says it will commence online treatment of applications for, and renewal of approvals of secondary schools.
The process will also be adopted for the commencement of a unified transfer certificate in public and private schools in the state, the absence of which, the government noted, had contributed in the lowering of educational standards in the state.
The State Commissioner for Education, Dr. Tamunosisi Gogo-Jaja stated this yesterday in Port Harcourt at a stakeholders meeting with private schools operators in the state.
The Commissioner said however, that a grace period would be given to all schools in the state within which to upload required information or face suspension of their operation.
The initiative, the Commissioner said, would ensure that operators run standard schools while securing and promoting their investments.
The online platform which will be known as the Rivers State Schools Management Information System (rivemis.riversstate.com.ng) will upload required information from all schools as well as feedbacks from parents.
Gogo-Jaja noted that some schools had in the past flouted the state academic calendar and warned that this will not be allowed to continue from the next academic session.
Furthermore, government will, from September this year, introduce Schools Debate in public schools as well as Awards for best performing school Principals and Head Teachers, he said.
The Commissioner deplored the way and manner some approved schools lower academic standards in the state by colluding with unapproved schools to extort parents by accommodating students for the Senior Secondary Schools Certificate Examination.
He emphasised that, while government will not interfere with schools which run foreign curriculum, it would insist on the injection of local content.
According to the Commissioner, all genuine issues raised by the school operators at the interactive session would be addressed on their merit.
He called on the State Book Review Committee, now assessing educational books in the Ministry, to fast-track its assignment to enable the Ministry notify parents and guardians of approved schools for the various subjects in the next academic session.
In his contribution, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on ICT, Mr. Ibifuro Asawo briefed the stakeholders on the oncoming Ministry of Education ICT platform.
The Permanent Secretary in the Education Ministry Mr. Dagogo Hart and the State Chairman, National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) Chief Victor A. D. Green were at the interactive session which attracted over 1,000 stakeholders.