Kogi Government on Monday decried the low turnout of students and pupils as schools resumed and appealed to parents and guardians to release their wards to resume school.
Kogi Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mrs Rosemary Osikoya, has decried poor resumption of study as schools resumed on Monday.
The commissioner, who expressed the feeling when she monitored some schools in Lokoja, to ascertain their resumption for the 2nd term 2018/2019 academic session in the state, appealed to parents to release their children to resume learning.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr Eric Aina, however, represented the commissioner at the occasion.
The commissioner said she had directed officers of the ministry from the Quality Assurance department and Basic Education to commence monitor of school resumption in Lokoja metropolis.
Aina, however, told journalists that: “So far, we have visited a reasonable number of schools and we are impressed and satisfied with the turnout of teachers as against the insinuation that the date of resumption was postponed.
“For example, in the Ministry of Women Affairs Primary School in Gadumo, out of the 21 teachers on the staff nominal role, 20 of them have resumed and they are on ground.
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“However, the turnouts of students and pupils are very low, we are using this opportunity to appeal to parents and guardians to release their wards to return to school,” Aina said.
The Director, Quality Assurance of the ministry, Mr Ibrahim Zakari, said that the monitoring team for the resumption of schools was divided into three, for proper monitoring across the state capital.
“The exercise is also going on in the 21 LGAs of the state. We have visited about 30 schools in Lokoja, and the turnout of teachers have been very impressive.
“We urge all learners to resume schools so that teachers can commence teaching in earnest.“
The Principal of UBE JSS, Gadumo, Mrs Christiana Basaki, told NAN that she was very happy to see the monitoring team from the ministry, saying it would further motivate the teachers for improved performance.
“We are tidying up our classrooms and premises today, teachers have written their lesson notes and ready to teach the students, but teaching will commence tomorrow,” Basakis said.
One of the students, Paul Musa in JSS 1, told NAN that he was very happy to resume school and excited seeing all the teachers, in his school, on ground.
Some of the schools visited include: Govt Day Sec. Sch., and Formwan UBE JSS Adankolo, Freedom Faith Sec. Sch., Nurun-Mubeen Int’l Sch., Baptist Nursery, Primary Sch., Lokoja, among others.
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