Community leader alleges poor funding of public schools in Delta

A community leader in Delta, Mr Emmanuel Ashinze, has alleged poor funding of public schools in the state, expressing concern that it has led to decadence and low standard of education.

Ashinze, President-General of Ogwashi-Uku Development Association (ODA), made the allegation at the Citizens Engagement Forum on Delta 2019 Budget held on Wednesday in Asaba.

He said: “I can tell you that since 2013 till date, teachers in public primary schools in the state have not undergone any training programme.

“This is unlike teachers in the private schools who receive training regularly; this is why many concerned parents send their children to private schools.”

“I want to appeal to the State Government to do something urgently to salvage the situation in our public primary schools.

“Government should as a matter of urgent importance include budgetary provision for training and retraining of our public school teachers in the 2019 budget,” he said.

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Ashinze, a retired school teacher, said that teachers in public primary schools in the state lacked requisite training, especially in basic reading and writing skills.

He added: “It is a very sad development that 90 per cent of pupils in our public primary schools cannot read and write coherently.

“There is no doubt that the quality of education in our public primary schools is very poor, a clear manifestation of the poor quality of teaching.

According to him, teachers in private schools fare better and are better equipped because they received regular training.

Responding, the state Commissioner for Economic Planning, Dr Kingsley Ewu, said the state government was committed to improving the standard of education in the public school system.

“Teacher education is very important to us, and so we are not unmindful of that very important responsibility.

“We are doing a lot of in-house training in all sectors of the state and I can assure you that our teachers would not be left out.

“The administration of Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa is very committed to the education of our children, so we will continue to do more in that respect,” Emu said.