Education Minister, Prof. Tahir Mamman and Minister of State for Education, Dr. Tanko Sununu, have charged principals of Federal Unity Colleges across the country to protect their schools and students from any form of attack or banditry.

Mamman, who gave the charge, yesterday, at a meeting with principals of the 112 unity colleges in continuation of briefings from departments and chief executives under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Education, described the unity colleges as national treasures, which must be protected at all cost.

The minister charged the principals to be vigilant over security issues, adding that early security warnings must not be taken for granted.The Minister of State for Education, who spoke in the same vein, charged the principals to be watchful and take extra measures to protect their respective schools.

Sununu, while commending the principals for their patriotism and commitment to the service of the nation, directed them to liaise with traditional rulers, religious leaders, parents and all security agencies to create necessary synergy that would guarantee security of all federal unity schools.

Meanwhile, in her response to the charge, Chairperson of the Association of Principals of Nigerian Unity Colleges and also the Principal of the Federal Science and Technical College Ilesa, Dr. (Mrs.) Idowu Akinbamijo, assured the ministers that her colleagues would do everything humanly possible to ensure that the children under their care are fully protected, adding that as parents, security of children must be a priority.

Idowu used the occasion to appeal to the ministers to prioritise the construction of housing accommodation in rural unity colleges as an incentive to attract and retain teachers in rural schools.

She also requested that entitlements should be made for teachers before their postings are affected to reduce the pains associated with their relocation and family members.

IN another development, the National Senior Secondary School Education Commission has called on the state governments to invest vigorously on welfare and training of teachers to enhance their performance.

Executive Secretary of the Commission, Dr. Iyela Ajayi, gave the charge in Lokoja, Kogi State, during the monitoring of learners’ achievement programmes organised for students of senior secondary schools by the commission.

According to him, teachers play significant roles in the educational sector, stressing that it has become imperative for the state government to focus on capacity building of teachers to enable them to impact the desired knowledge on the students.

He said the exercise would help teachers in schools as well as assisting the learners to grow academically. In her remarks, Director of Educational Planning, Research and Statistics, Kogi State Ministry of Education, Animoku Elizabeth, said that the state government had planned to establish a senior secondary school education board to complement the effort of the commission in teaching and learning.