ASSOCIATION of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN) has donated textbooks and other instructional materials to pupils of three schools of LGEA Central Primary Schools, Ofugo, Ankpa Local Government Area, Kogi State.
Presenting the materials to the pupils on the schools’ premises on Wednesday, Mrs Felicia Agubata the APWEN president urged the pupils to make good use of the textbooks in order to have a brighter future.
Agubata, who was represented by Mrs Margaret Ojo, the state’s chairperson of APWEN, said the gesture was a follow-up on its programme tagged: ‘Invent it, Build it’, aimed at inspiring pupils, especially the girl-child, to pursue a career in engineering.
She said that the textbooks were donated by the former president of Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Mr Kashim Ali, who had his primary education at the school, in collaboration with APWEN.
She noted that Ali had also on April 25, in collaboration with APWEN, donated uniforms to 456 pupils, and 10 laptops and scholarships to 10 pupils across various primary schools in Ankpa local government area.
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She added that they had also performed a ground-breaking ceremony of a Science and Technology Laboratory, to be built by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), and to be managed by APWEN.
”Today, we have donated 451 textbooks, including teacher’s work books, for pupils in primary one to six. This gesture is to support the pupils in their educational career,” she said.
Agubata advised the teachers to make good use of the books for the benefit of the pupils and not to sell them, saying, ”It is free for the children and not to be sold to them.”
She enjoined the pupils to be serious with their studies and make good use of the textbooks, and urged them to take up career in science and engineering in the nearest future.
In her remarks, Kogi State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mrs Rosemary Osikoya, thanked the former COREN president and APWEN for the gesture, while urging individuals, groups and organisations to adopt a school in their domain.
Represented by Mr Ikwuje Pius, the Director Basic and Secondary Education in the ministry, Osikoya said that the gesture had reduced the burden on government providing essential services, including uniforms and instructional materials.
According to her, the donation of the textbooks was also part of activities by the ministry to commemorate the ”World International Literacy Day,” celebrated every September 8.
She, therefore, enjoined the pupils, teachers and parents to ensure proper maintenance of what had been given to them in order to attract more.
The commissioner further stressed the need for all stakeholders to focus more attention on science, technical and vocational sector in order to have a robust economy in the state and Nigeria at large.
Mrs Grace Okpanachi, who spoke on behalf of Education Secretary in Ankpa LGA, commended the gesture, and thanked the commissioner for giving the schools adequate attention.
Okpanachi stressed that no such attention had been given to the school ever since it was established in 1948.
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