The Kogi Commissioner for Education Science and Technology, Mr. Wemi Jones has said that there were over 900 registered and over 1000 unregistered private schools operate illegally in Kogi state.
The commissioner made this known on Tuesday when he received the Members of House Committee on Education, Kogi State House of Assembly, in his office on Tuesday in Lokoja.
He added that the ministry would intensify efforts to generate quality and credible data to enable the state solicit the support of the donor partners and relevant stakeholders for the delivery of quality education to Kogi people.
“The schools must operate under a conducive environment for our students to learn well,” he said.
”We have to realise that the government alone does not have the capacity to fund education sector, and that is why we are trying to bring several stakeholders on board,” he restated.
The commissioner assured that the ministry would redouble its efforts in the area of supervision, monitoring and inspection of schools to get the best out of the teachers and students, saying the state’s current rating in external examinations was not acceptable.
”We will enforce the tool of discipline in our schools; we need to utilise the human resources on ground to improve education in the state and get our ratings back.
”Plenty efforts have gone into the sector, and a lot have been done by my predecessor which I have also called to appreciate her; but there are still lots to be done in education for effective performance.
”We are also committed to standandisation in our schools and we will work assiduously to get it done. We will need the full corporations and support of the honourable members from time to time”, he said.
He assured that the ministry would do the needful to ensure that private schools operate according to standard as he solicited the support of relevant stakeholders for the delivery of quality and effective education in the state.
He thanked the governor for considering him worthy of the appointment and to head the education sector, while commending the Honourable members for approving his appointment.
The commissioner restated the commitment of Gov. Yahaya Bello, to transforming the education sector in the state, stressing that education remained the bedrock of any sustainable development.
Earlier, the Chairman, House Committee on Education, Hon. Olushola Kilani, who led the team, said they were in the ministry on familiarisation tour with the new commissioner as part of their oversight function.
According to Kilani, the committee has the mandate to ensure quality delivery in education sector, while requesting that the report of the status update of the ministry, be forwarded to the committee through the clerk.
The chairman also called the attention of the commissioner on the need to improve security in the state’s higher institutions, while calling for proper checkmate of the proliferation of substandard private schools across the state.
He assured that the House of Assembly would support the ministry in its effort to improving the status of education in the state in the area of intervention, laws, and data, among others.
The chairman, who was accompanied by other members of the committee, assured that they would also support the ministry in the area of data, which could actually help in decision making.
