The governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, has expressed displeasure at the facilities in some public schools in the state.
Speaking in Kaiama at the end of an unscheduled visit to Saint Jude’s Girls Secondary School, Amarata-Yenagoa, and the Ijaw National Academy, Kaiama, in the Kolokuma/Opokuma local government area, Governor Diri said the government’s budgetary provisions and expenditures in the education sector do not match the reality on the ground.
The governor directed the commissioner for Education, Dr. Gentle Emelah, to immediately address dilapidated structures in schools nationwide.
At the Ijaw National Academy, the governor noted the absence of sporting facilities and the uncompleted dining hall. He directed the commissioner to ensure that the contractor returned to the site.
In a statement by the Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Alabrah, Diri also frowned at the state of the school’s hostels and restated his administration’s commitment to developing the education sector, given its importance to nation-building.
Governor Diri said he would undertake more unscheduled visits to schools and other government departments to see things for himself. He called on relevant officials to take more serious maintenance of public facilities.
He said with the progress made by the state in external examinations such as the West African School Certificate Examination (WASCE) and the National Examinations Council (NECO), it was necessary to put the proper facilities in place to enable the students to perform better.
“I have been to Saint Jude’s, and I am here at the Ijaw National Academy. I am not satisfied with what I have seen. If schools in the urban, motorable areas were in this state, what would those in the rural, riverine communities be like?
“In this second tenure, I will pay unscheduled visits to our schools, hospitals and other essential government agencies. Students are very important. I am not happy with the dilapidation I saw at St Jude’s. We must strengthen supervision.
“I have directed the Commissioner for Education to rehabilitate your school. I have also directed that the completed basketball court be handed over to the school authorities in Saint Jude’s between now and Friday. This school has been doing well and has made our state proud many times in basketball.”
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