DTHA Passes Delta Model Schools Bill For Effective Take-Off. The controversy surrounding the Delta State Model Primary Schools Bill, 2014, has been laid to rest following its passage on the floor of the Delta State House of Assembly this week, Wednesday. Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan sent the bill to the legislature for a law to provide for the establishment and management of Delta State Model Primary Schools in the state a month ago. The bill which had earlier passed through first reading was slated for second reading on Thursday, May 8, 2014, where the House divided itself over its passage through second reading. A Critic of the bill described its disparity as a deprivation of quality education to Delta Children. The Speaker, Rt. Hon. Peter Onwusanya, at the sitting, however suspended debate and questions for either the “Ayes” or “Nil” has it till further notice when on Thursday, May 13, 2014, the House unanimously passed the bill through second reading and committed it to the House Committee on Education for further legislative input after the Speaker, Hon. Onwusanya put the question forward before lawmakers. Before now, expectations were rife on the stands of the bill. Now that the bill has been passed by the House after resolving into the Committee of the Whole House chaired by the Speaker, Hon. Onwusanya to amend some grey clauses on the bill, whatever lobbying or influenced that overwhelmed the critics of the bill to support its passage has remained a part of history. Among other sundry objectives, the bill seeks to provide quality education for pupils, encourage and promote standards in the establishment of seven model primary schools in the state as listed on the bill. It also seeks to provide course of instruction with the use of Montessori Method of teaching for the reception class and to promote the culture of discipline, hard work and scholarship among pupils. The establishment of the model schools and simultaneous refurbishing and modernization of existing primary schools across the state by Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan’s administration is aimed at ensuring and enhancing academic excellence in the state. According to Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, “the vision for the model schools is to use them to expose school pupils to electronic learning and ensure academic excellence in the state”. It is instructive that this kind of attention is being given to primary education in Delta State. The crèche, nursery and primary school levels are the foundational and formative stages of education. This stage, as we all know, is particularly crucial. Therefore, exposing the pupils to electronic facilities in a proper learning environment will enhance academic excellence and point the right way for the children to go in seeking direction for the future. There is no doubt that when the schools are fully functional; the standard obtainable would be comparable to some of the best in the World. Besides, as each of the edifice stands, the schools have the capacity to admit 420 pupils in the primary section and 60 in the nursery section. With the outlook, we all know that the model schools are going to be different. Apart from their ultra-modern looks, some of them that have already commenced learning are equipped with the state of the art electronic learning equipment. Although primary schools are the responsibility of local governments, the model primary schools will be funded and run by the state government so that the burden would not be too much for local Governments to bear. The Executive Council may by Order published in the State Gazette add to or remove a school from the list of model schools in the Schedule. The law when passed and assented by the Governor will establish in the Governor’s Office, an Education Services Department which shall have supervisory and monitoring functions over the model schools in the state. The implication of the law, therefore, simply means that the supervising Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education and the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) would not have control over the day to day running of the schools. In essence, the Education Services Department shall be headed by an Executive Director who shall be an experienced educationist with first degree of not less than ten years teaching experience and shall be accountable to the Governor in the day to day running of the model schools. The law will also provide for the recruitment of teaching and non teaching staff other than the recruitment organized by the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education and SUBEB and spell out measurable level of discipline for erring teachers. Employee teachers would be those with at least a National Certificate of Education in nursery and primary education, while Head Teachers would be holders of Bachelor of Education of not less than ten years teaching experience respectively and who are duly registered with Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria. The arguments of the lawmakers who spoke for or against the bill are all germane to the effective management and monitoring of both the public primary and model schools in the state. Like critics of the bill had it that His Excellency, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan had a good intention and a noble idea in transforming the face of public schools in the state as well as setting up standard for academic excellence in establishing the existing model primary schools. They canvassed that such idea should be devoid of inequality for every Delta child to feel the touch of quality education in the state.
Posted on: Sat, 31 May 2014 20:06:12 +0000
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