Isaac Ombe – Yenagoa
The Bayelsa State Government says the forthcoming Education Summit being organised through the state ministry of education would be used as the cradle of the new Bayelsa education sector.
Dr. Gentle Emelah, the state’s Commissioner for Education made the disclosure, in Yenagoa, at the weekend, as he unfolded plans being put in place for the event which comes up, on Monday.
Flanked by members of the education summit planning committee including the permanent secretary ministry of education, Christopher Ewrudjakpo, Dr. Stella Ugolo, who is the secretary of the summit panning committee, Dr. Alice Atuwo who is co- Chairman of the committee, Dr. Jasper Ezennaka and Prof. Ebimieowei Etebu, Emelah says Bayelsa state government through it’s ministry of education would take. decisive steps towards reviewing and taking concrete steps in improving its standard of education.
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With the theme: ‘Optimising the Delivery and Sustainability of Outcomes in the Education Sector’, the Education Commissioner disclosed that former President Goodluck Jonathan is expected to deliver the key note address at the event as experts from all walk of life, including other prominent sons and daughters of the state’s extraction would gather in the state on Monday to proffer long lasting solutions to the educational development of the state through the education summit.
In answer to a question, the education Commissioner says the ministry is also partnering with International Oil Companies ( IOCs) and other organisations to ensure a robust success of the summit.
Enumerating achievements of the sector since the creation of the state in 24 years, Dr. Gentle Emelah, the education commissioner, disclosed that the sector have produced 547 primary schools , 195 secondary schools and nine tertiary institutions in the mostly riverine oil rich but backward state .
All these schools, according to Emelah, are funded by government and supervised by the ministry of eduction, stressing , the achievements in the sector in the last 24 years “are attributable to the several thousands of dedicated teachers, principals, administrators, officers and staff at the ministry, both past and present ”
Eulogising efforts of the key impacters of knowledge, he noted that the competence of the administrators , Vice Chancellors , other principal officers and lecturers at our tertiary institutions have produced some of the most outstanding graduates in our state and society , of whom we re very proud”.
This paradigm shift, according to him would require the expertise of individuals , eductionists, Civil society organisations , institutions at the national, regional, Continental and global levels to provide support and guidance for partnerships and collaborations towards achieving the much greater goal of proving quality, affordable and sustainable education through prudent allocation of human and increasingly scarce public resources.
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“To this end, the government of Bayelsa state through the ministry of education as conceptualised by the ” Bayelsa state education summit as the cradle of the new Bayelsa Education sector”, said the education commissioner .
Presenting further insight into the summit, Dr. Stella Ugolo, secretary of the summit Committee pointed out that the summit will encompass short term plan, medium term and long term plan for the period of 15years,adding that “from the policy we also come out with a domesticated state education policy whereby system runners and system founders will be able to rely upon to carry out and be assessed”.
The education summit, she added , is aimed at ensuring that the system is streamlined for upward movement in the education system”
It would be recalled that the immediate past administration of former governor Henry Seriake Dickson , concerned by the backward nature of education in the state had “declared a state of emergency on the education sector”. But not too satisfied with what it met on ground, the new governor Douye Diri -administration decided to conceptualise education summit for the purpose of long time, result oriented Planing for the sector which is said to be in comatose in the state .
