Abia bans graduation ceremonies for nursery, primary schools

By Steve Oko

UMUAHIA – Abia State Government has banned graduation ceremonies for nursery schoolhouse pupils, arsenic good arsenic superior schoolhouse pupils and secondary schoolhouse students who are not successful exit classes.

The authorities besides abolished compulsory operation of textbook and workbook by publishers which makes it intolerable for younger siblings to usage textbooks already utilized by their older ones.

The authorities said the determination is binding connected some backstage and nationalist schools.

Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, disclosed this portion briefing newsmen connected the result of this week’s State Executive Council gathering presided implicit by Governor Alex Otti.

The decision, according to him, was taken to prevention parents from exploitation by schoolhouse proprietors.

He further explained that acquisition stakeholders successful the authorities had already taken akin presumption pursuing complaints by parents.

“Let maine besides pass you that recently, determination was an acquisition stakeholders gathering involving the authorities heads of basal education, officials of WAEC, NECO, NUT, ANCOPS, ETA, publishers, NAMSAN, etc,” said Kanu.

According to the Information Commissioner, “Abia State Government has agreed that going forward, graduation ceremonies successful our schools would lone beryllium constricted to superior 6 pupils and SS3 students.”

He further said: “All these graduation ceremonies are creating a heavy spread successful the pockets of parents crossed the state, truthful they took that determination to guarantee that parents halt complaining successful that regard.”

The Commissioner disclosed that the authorities had adjusted postings of the newly-recruited teachers to suit those who made complaints astir the places they were posted for assorted reasons.

He said the authorities authorities had concluded a two-week intensive grooming for them truthful arsenic to equip them for 21st-century teaching.

Contributing, the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Elder Goodluck Ubochi, announced that the last and updated posting of the recently recruited teachers would beryllium published earlier the extremity of the week.

On textbooks, helium said: “There are truthful galore schools that are hard to access. But 1 happening is that our children are besides successful these schools, and we can’t conscionable permission them. People indispensable beryllium posted to these areas.

“But what the authorities has done is to supply immoderate level of incentive, meaning that those who volition willingly take to spell to specified places to service volition person immoderate encouragement successful the signifier of currency incentive.”

On the separation of textbooks from workbooks, helium said the authorities intervened to prevention parents from exploitation, adding that stakeholders successful the acquisition assemblage had besides agreed connected that.

“Major decisions were taken arsenic it had to bash with the system of our parents. So we constricted the graduation ceremonies to lone those who are exiting 1 level of acquisition oregon the other, chiefly since determination could beryllium graduation.

“Then the adjacent would beryllium those exiting the secondary schoolhouse acquisition by secondary. There could beryllium a solemnisation for them. But those of them successful nursery schoolhouse person not known however specified kids volition beryllium subjected to graduation and large graduation gowns volition beryllium made.

“Another happening that would besides impressment parents is the contented of textbooks. It’s different happening that publishers would harvester some the textbook and the workbook. Which means that by the clip a kid ends a peculiar people with a fixed textbook, that textbook cannot beryllium utilized by immoderate different person.

“So we decided that the publishers should abstracted the textbook from the workbook. So the workbook would beryllium utilized for an duty for a fixed child, whereas the textbook would stay applicable for arsenic galore people, arsenic galore younger ones arsenic would person entree to that,” helium explained.

The commissioner added that “the authorities encourages parents to marque definite that they prime the basal acquisition certificates of their children.”

He warned schools against charging much than N2,000 for postulation of superior six and basal acquisition certificates portion that of secondary schoolhouse would not beryllium much than N4,000.

Commissioner for Health, Professor Enoch Uche, Special Adviser to the Governor connected Media and Publicity, Mr Ferdinand Ekeoma, were contiguous astatine the briefing.

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