From Omoregie Elvis, Benin
Rivers State Commissioner for Education, Hon. Tamunosis Gogo-Jaja has
called on the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools,
NAPPS to flush out quacks in their midst and employ only the services
of qualified personnel in their institutions.
This was contained in a communique issued at the end of the 11th
annual conference of the National Association of Proprietors of
Private Schools, NAPPS, held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State and made
available to newsmen in Benin City.
The Commissioner said the quacks in their midst have given the
qualified teachers among them bad names and that the association must
do all in its power to cull them out and reposition the teaching
profession.
The Commissioner commended NAPPS for leading in the provision of
quality educational service and for partnering with the administration
of the executive governor of the state in ensuring that the
educational system is not left the way it was met but improved upon.
Earlier, President, NAPPS, Dr. Sally Adukwu-Bolujoko in her welcome
address, while highlighting the strengths, challenges and prospects of
private schools in Nigeria, challenged school owners to build a strong
and respectable association that could stand the test of time and that
which the Nigerian people could look up to.
She said the school owners have the responsibility to build human
capacity for the nation and thus must increase their capacity to meet
that mandate.
Sally stressed that proprietors must develop ways of raising funds to
keep their schools alive in a volatile economy in the face of multiple
levies and high interest rates by commercial banks.
Delivering the lead paper titled “The Challenges of Funding Private
Education in a Volatile Economy, Prof. Nath M. Abraham of the Faculty
of Education, University of Port Harcourt, highlighted a volatile
economy as one characterized by uncertainties, instabilities,
fluctuation of prices of goods and services causing frequent rises and
falls of returns on investments.
Prof. Nath further encouraged school proprietors not to give up but to
adopt turn around strategies that will guarantee that they continue
providing quality service that will guarantee greater access for
children.
According to the national publicity secretary, Chairman mobilization
and contact committee, Bishop Opukeme Godly, I just want to thank God
for the success of our annual convention that we were able to achieve
two concrete things which is the ratifying of the long awaited
constitution review and the constitute of board of trustees. Names of
the board of trustees are: Dr. Saidu Mijinyawa, Chairman North West,
Dr. Rabiu Kurfi, North West, Alhaji A.U. Misau, North East, Hon.
Kundak Abdulmununi, North East, Mrs. D.O. Balogun, North Central,
Comrade Jude Idakpo, North Central, Chief Gbenga Olowe, South West,
Prince Shakiru Raji, South West, Lady Dr. Gina Yeseibo, South-South,
Obong Edet Udoh Inwang, South-South, Dr. Mrs. F.C. Olikeze, South
East, Lady Josephine Ndukwu, South East.