Bayelsa govt to spend N1.3bn on textbooks

THE Bayelsa State Government has approved N1.3bn for the purchase of instructional materials and other necessities that would aid learning at the various boarding schools on government scholarship programme.

Government made the disclosure at the 79th session of the state executive council meeting held in Yenagoa.

The investment in education, as it was learnt to be largely instrumental to the state in external examinations, particularly for emerging overall 5th position in the recent West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) and 3rd in National Examination Council (NECO).

The duo of the Commissioner for Information and Education that spoke with journalists said government would also review the loop-sided posting of academic and non-academic staff of primary and secondary schools in the state.

They hinted that government is prepared to employ teachers next year to cater for the manpower gap in the primary education system in the state.

The Government in a bid to improve the education system in the state, has constituted committee to collate data of civil servants whose degree qualifications are relevant to the teaching profession for the purpose of training and redeployment to primary and secondary schools.

The Commissioners said the committee would be headed by the Deputy Governor, Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah (Retired).

Expressing the government’s preparedness to sustain the investments in the sector, he noted that, the move was targeted at redeploying such civil servants to areas where their services would be more useful, as well as address some of the challenges plaguing the public service.

They noted that, council stressed the need to regularly train and retrain teachers at the Teachers’ Training Academy at Bulou Orua, to boost their efficiency and productivity.

“In pursuance to our educational policy in the state where government has invested so much in the sector, government has decided to reap the dividends of its massive investments by strengthening the educational system as part of measures to also address some of the challenges in the public service.”

Other members of the committee are, Head of Service, Rev Thomas Zidafamor, Chief of Staff, Government House, Rt Hon Talford Ongolo, the Commissioners for Education, Local Government Administration, Mrs Agatha Goma and that of Science and Technology and Manpower Development, Chief Ipigansi Izagara.

Others are, Special Adviser on Treasury, Accounts and Revenue, Mr Timipre Seipulo, Director General of Education Inspectorate Bureau, Dr Stella Ugolo, while the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education is to serve as secretary, with representatives from the state chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress, Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE and Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT.