Benue begins handover of schools to private owners
Samuel Ortom
Benue State government says it has started the process of handing over secondary schools in the state to their private owners, in order to improve the standard of education.
The state governor, Samuel Ortom disclosed this yesterday while inaugurating the committee saddled with the responsibilities of ensuring a smooth transition.
Inaugurating the committee tagged: ‘implementation committee on the review of policy of grant in aid/handover of post-primary schools in the state,’ Ortom said the decision became necessary in order to curtail government’s expenditure.
Ortom said the policy, which had lingered on for several years without execution, is to allow the missionary, communities and non-governmental organisations the opportunities to invest in education.
“We have carefully reviewed the problem and our plan is to bring reforms to its logical conclusion. Handing over schools to their proprietors is a progressive policy that is sustainable and in line with international good practice,” he stated.
Ortom explained that improve and raise the standard of the 64 government-owned secondary schools.
The committee which has Most Rev. Williams Avenya of Catholic Diocese of Gboko as chairman, has five terms of reference.
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4 Comments
This is a fantastic development. My dear old Mt. St. Michael’s College Aliade can now take a new shape. Once in a while, I drop by to look around the school, and 30 years later the school hasn’t changed a bit!
Welcome to a new era of education in Benue. Private schools can now kick-start a new revolution.
This is an overdue policy worthy of emulation by other education-loving States throughout Nigeria. Some of the State Free Education policies are mere extensions of illiteracy.A school without qualified teachers, science equipment and good infrastructure is hardly worth the name.
Any State that refuse to follow suit ,is an enemy of Education and Progress in this regard . When last I visited my old School,I shook my head in disbelief . It is one of the great calamities the military bestowed to the Civilian Govt. I wish South- West States could summon up courage and follow suit .
God bless you and your actions. Now well trained teachers can be deployed to make education meaningful. In nearly all government schools teachers employed to teach the like of mathematics can not even add two to two. What a shame! The students leave schools and starts going like Poland to study Hausa, Igbo etc. What a shame!!!
We will review and take appropriate action.