Executive Chairman, Delta State Universal Basic Education Board, SUBEB, Hon Samuel Mariere has called for more community involvement in securing public primary schools assets in the state.
Hon Mariere made the call while addressing education stakeholders in Isoko North and Isoko South, in continuation of the board’s advocacy visits on public primary education reform across the 25 local government areas in the state.
The SUBEB Chairman said the state government has committed much funds in building infrastructures in public primary institutions in the state, saying that there was the need to always protect them against vandalism.
He stated that effective community policing is needed at all times and appealed to heads and leaders of various communities in the state to be actively involved in that regards.
“Let me stress it here that we must see public infrastructures not as government property but assets that belong to all of us.
We must secure it like the way and manner we strive to secure our individual assets and community town halls.
“We must ensure that vandals when apprehended are handed over to security agencies for the law to take its course. The task is for everyone, including community leaders and youth groups.
“Some persons caught in the act were prosecuted and already serving jail terms in prisons”, Mariere said.
The two terms member of the State House of Assembly and former Commissioner for Water Resources Development, emphasized that the state government cannot afford to spend so much monies in building schools infrastructures and watch them vandalized by criminals.
He said no government would be encouraged to return to a community for more projects when the ones earlier executed in the locality had been destroyed with no trace of those involved.
Mariere appealed to head of schools and teachers to embrace the ongoing reform process in public primary schools and restated government’s commitment to the funding of the education sector, including payment of salaries.
The Subeb Boss also urged the traditional rulers, community opinion leaders and members of the School Based Management Committee, SBMC to sustain their collaborative efforts to ensuring standards in schools in their communities.
Hon Mariere called on Chairmen of local government councils in the state, to always fulfill their financial obligations towards effective running of public primary education in their areas.
Reacting to allegation from the Chairman Isoko North, that primary school pupils pay money for printing of examination question papers, the Subeb Boss promised to investigate the matter as the state government was never responsible for such collection.
Mariere disclosed that the ongoing transfers and redistribution of teachers in schools would be concluded within the next two weeks, even as he encouraged all to ensure that parents register their children and wards in public schools.
Chairmen Isoko North and Isoko South, Mr Godwin Ogorugbe and Mr Warri Ovoke, pledged their support to the state government’s efforts to reposition public primary schools education in the state.
The Education Secretaries of Isoko North and South, Mrs Margret Egbabor and Mr Pius Emamowho, promised not to let the board down in the implementation of policies and regulations that would bring out the best from the teachers.
In his remarks, the Odio Ologbo of Oleh Kingdom, HRM Anthony William Onovughe Ovrawah Omogha 1, commended Governor Sheriff Oborevwori for putting together a team to drive reforms in the public primary education in the state and assured of support.
The Monarch noted that poor running of public schools was responsible for low enrollments in the past and expressed optimism that the narratives will change in the next academic year.
Other stakeholders who spoke appealed to SUBEB to bring back disciplines in schools, pointing out that some parents fight teachers for disciplining their children.
They described the development as sad and frustrating, and stressed the need for a stop to such act.
The advocacy meeting with stakeholders in public primary schools across the local government areas in the state by SUBEB continues.