Delta State Governor, Senator Dr Ifeanyi Okowa has restated his administration’s resolve to continue the free basic and secondary education programme in the state. Speaking in Asaba at the inauguration of the Post-Primary Education Board (PPEB) and State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), the governor averred that he believes in free education.
Apparently reacting to rife speculations that government planned to introduce schools fees and sundry levies this academic session, he said: “If you find any teacher or school head collecting money from students, there are many ways you can reach me…We believe in free education. We have not re-introduced school fees and we don’t have the intention to introduce school fees,” the Governor said.
He then called for urgent steps towards designing school curricular and co-curricular programmes to reflect 21st century educational system, which according to him entailed more than rote learning.
“The underlying philosophy of 21st century education is that it is transformative in nature. It is child-centred and holds a conceptually different view of the tutor system. Education in the 21st century is not about rote learning, it is personalised learning. The teacher is to create an environment where the students can learn and enjoy learning instead of the norm in the past where the teacher is made the sole reservoir of knowledge.
“I expect members of the PPEB and SUBEB to take active interest and participate in how we can reflect these changing dynamics in our curricular and co-curricular programmes and help drive the process that will move our education system forward in this regard” he stressed. The new PPEB board has Sir Patrick Akporuno as chairman, Mrs Ifeoma Agbomah, Mrs Esere Atumu, and Chief Christiana Etaluku as members; while the SUBEB has Hon. Sunny Ogwu as Chairman, Hon. (Mrs) Gbubemi Ikolo, Chief (Mrs) Lina Osuya-Eni and Mrs Philomena Ededey are members. Also inaugurated was the Direct Labour Agency (DLA) Board with Rt. Hon. Frank Enekerogha as Director-General, Mr. Smart Meka, Engr Blessing Enamuotor and Engr. Austin Bebeteidoh are members.
The governor particularly charged the DLA board as an interventionist agency to construct and rehabilitate link roads and urban roads excluding expressways in the urban centres.“You should do everything within your powers to pre-empt the human tendency towards insider abuse, sharp practices, over-invoicing, substandard work, bribery and corruption,” Senator Okowa added.
Responding on behalf of the appointees, Rt. Hon. Enekerogha said, “the purpose of these appointments is for people to perform for the generality of the people to feel the impacts of good governance. We will give you and the state all our cooperation and don’t hesitate to replace anybody who fails to perform, even if I am the one.”
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