The Kogi Government on Monday, commended teachers in the state for their impressive attendance as schools resumed for the third term 2018/2019 academic activities.
Mr Eric Aina, the Permanent Secretary Kogi State Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, made the commendation after random monitoring of schools for resumption on Monday in Lokoja.
“All academic activities for the third term commenced today April 29, and we are out to monitor the level of compliance by schools as directed by the ministry’s Commissioner, Mrs Rosemary Osikoya.
“So far, we have randomly visited a reasonable number of schools and we are satisfied with the turnout of teachers.
”We are impressed with the attendance of teachers and we appreciate their efforts, we also implore them to intensify such efforts,” he said.
Aina, who spoke on behalf of the commissioner, however, decried the low turnout of students and pupils as schools resumed but appealed to parents and guardians to release their wards to resume school.
According to him, in Bishop Delisle College, Lokoja, out of over 900 students in the school, only 35 of them came to school.
He, therefore, urged the teachers to reach out to their students to resume school, while appealing to parents to release their children to resume.
”Whatever the situation may be, we have that responsibility as teachers to bring up our students; let us make the necessary sacrifice,” he advised.
Also speaking, Hajia Liman Mustapha, the Director, Quality Assurance Department of the education ministry, said the commissioner had taken the issue of timely resumption to school as very critical.
”So we are here to monitor the level of resumption in schools both for teachers as well as for students.
”We are very happy to see the turnout of teachers, and we are impressed,” she said.
Mrs Mabel Ogunmola, Principal, Bishop Crowther College, commended the ministry’s monitoring team, adding that teachers were on ground to commence teaching today.
“I have instructed the teachers to commence teaching immediately after our morning devotion today.
”We are very grateful to the commissioner for her directive; I believe she will hear a good report about this school,” Ogunmola said.
One of the students, Earnest Victor in SS 1, told NAN that he felt happy to resume school today after the vacation.
‘“I am excited seeing all our teachers in our school on the ground to teach us today.”
Some of the schools visited include Bishop Delisle College, Bishop Crowther Memorial College, UBE JSS Adankolo, St. Luke Model School, Lokoja, among others.