Niger State government has announced its decision to reopen 11 out of the 42 secondary schools shut due to banditry in the state.
Some of the affected schools have been shut for the past four years while their students were moved to join other safer schools.
The state’s Commissioner for Education, Dr Hadiza Asabe Mohammed, announced this at a meeting with officials of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), All Nigerian Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS), Zonal Quality Assurance Directors and management staff of the ministry, on Wednesday.
The schools to be reopened include Government Science College, Izom, in Gurara LGA; Teachers Professional Development Institute, Dandaudu, Munya LGA; Government Science College, Kutigi, Lavun LGA and College of Arts and Islamic Studies, Santali, Lavun LGA.
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Others are Government Girls’ Science College, Sabon-Wuse; Government Day Secondary School, Kabo; Government Day Secondary School, Daku; Government Day Secondary School, Shanu; Government Day Secondary School, Iwa; Government Girls’ Arabic Science College, Dikko; and Government Secondary School, Wushishi.
The commissioner said the meeting was to inform the management of the affected schools and their teachers to get prepared to resume classrooms, saying that an online data capturing of all teachers would begin soon for proper monitoring.
She also said the state would begin to index students from the Early Child Care Department Education (ECCDE) classes to Senior Secondary class (SSS), adding that ECCDE had been made compulsory.
She warned that no child would be admitted into primary class without undergoing early child education (ECCDE) classes.
Emphasizing free education in the state, Dr Hadiza warned that any principal found collecting unapproved fees from students would be sanctioned.
She added that School Based Management Committee (SBMC) and Parents Teachers Associations (PTA) would be tasked with monitoring school activities.
The State Chairman of the NUT, Akayago Mohammed, called on the government to improve on the welfare of teachers in the state.
