In its avowed commitment to repositioned public primary and secondary schools in the state, the Delta State Government has asked communities to own and protect the institutions in their respective localities.
The Chairman, State Universal Basic Education Board, SUBEB, Hon (Chief) Samuel Mariere made the call while addressing stakeholders at the Local Education Authority Office, in Uvwie Local Government Area.
Hon Mariere in an interactive session with the Local Education Authority supervisors and head teachers in Uvwie, emphasized the need for patriotism and partnership to restore sanity in public schools in the state.
The SUBEB Chairman disclosed that the state government was very concerned over the way and manner public schools and educational facilities are being vandalized, and doing all it could to check the ugly trend.
He stressed the need for School Based Management Committee, SBMC at local communities to support government to protect and improve the standard of education at the primary school level.
Hon Mariere said the State Governor, Rt. Hon Sheriff Oborevwori has ordered that the lost glory of public schools must be restored, maintaining that Local Education authority and Heads of Teachers must take responsibility to achieve the directive of the Governor.
The former Commissioner for Water Resources and two term Member of the Delta State Assembly, emphasized that to restore quality education was to get it right at the public primary schools, hence the desire of the state government that all hands must be on deck to accomplish the set goal.
Mariere reminded stakeholders that education at public schools is free, and warned that any heads of school caught extorting parents for admission would be dismissed from the service.
He directed that all heads teachers of schools, with two years to retirement must be transferred to the Local Education Authority in other to explore their wealth of experience in supervising those to take over from them.
The Subeb Chairman assured School head teachers that government would address the issue of overhead cost to run the schools, adding that provision for the training of teachers in the state has been made, even as he appealed to them to give quality education to young Deltans.
Secretary of the Local Education Authority in Uvwie Local Government, Mrs Rachael Onoyake who commended the SUBEB board for the visit, assured of the LEA’s readiness to restore the lost glory of public primary education in the state and compliment government’s effort in ensuring due diligence in the discharge of their duties.
The SUBEB Chairman and his team were at the place of the Ovie of Uvwie to seek support to protecting government’s investment in the kingdom.
The Ovie of Uvwie Kingdom, Abe the first, commended SUBEB for the vision to restore standards education in primary education system in the state, and pledged the support of the Kingdom in the actualization of the vision.
Hon Mariere was accompanied by other members of the board, including Mr Chukwuemeka Uwadia, Mr Onome Akpoghere Simon and Mrs Josephine Edjeren, the Permanent Secretary of the Board, Mr Baron Unini and the Director of Social Mobilization, Mr Felix Eghwujovwo amongst others.