National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools(NAPPS), Edo State Chapter has frowned at some of the obnoxious policies enacted by the state government adding that the policy would make students to be idle and redundant at home.
They equally begged Governor Godwin Obaseki not to allow Primary 6 and J. S. S. 3 examinations to be done or written in second term in March, stressing that, it would make the students to stay long at home thereby make some of the lazy ones to resort into various types of negative social vices.
NAPPS in a full enlarged meeting held in Benin City, with Chairmen and Proprietors and Proprietresses of various chapters in the 18 local government areas made the statements in a resolution agreed upon during a brainstorming talks to address some grey areas about government policies on private schools in the state.
In the resolution the body threatened that if the Edo State Government refuses to look at the issue of allowing students to write their Primary 6 and J. S. S. 3 examinations at the second term in March and resume in September in the same year, which they said is uncomfortable to private schools owners they said if that is the case, they will not enroll their students, as an association.
The body equally appealed to the state government through the Ministry of Education that the issue of identity card and biometrics for every student in private schools in the state, should be left for the state government to handle.
They explained that recently the state government said in one of the fora said in order to curtail the statistics of insecurity in Edo State, it is pertinent for the state government to carry out a biometrics of every citizen in Edo State. They agreed that instead of the Ministry of Education to embark on that task, that it should be handled by the state government to avoid duplication of facts.
“This is a general state meeting, we came to reject some policies on this ongoing government educational reforms. It is good, but there are some areas that we feel like appealing to the state government to look into it critically and make some adjustments. So that it should not be we are changing what is good for the bad.
“Number one area is the area of Primary 6 and J. S. S. 3 Exams. In as much this exams will take place, there is no need of holding second term exams in March. Instead, we are appealing because the students are ours. What would they be doing in third term? You have no moral justification to tell students who have finished their final exams to still be coming to school. And their third term is part of their classes.
“We are appealing to the state government through the Ministry of Education to look at it critically. Then another one is the issue of biometrics and ID Cards to be produced for all the students in the state, ranging from Kg to S. S. 3. The state governor, Godwin Obaseki, said that the state government is trying to issue Identity Cards to all citizens in the state.
“So, we feel the Ministry of Education should allow the state government to take prominence rather than the Ministry of Education to produce the ID card to avoid duplications of ID cards. This and others we beg the Ministry and the state government to allow them to go and have readjustment.
“We appreciate Edo State Government reforms in all areas of education. But, we as NAPPS in the State, we are appealing for some policies that the government introduced in school reforms in Edo State. This harmonization of the school calender.
The timing for Primary 6 and J. S. S. 3 exams, which the Edo State Government said, should be written in the second term in March will not work well.
“We are appealing that the exams should be written in third term, after mid-term break. This will now enable students have a full academic benefits. Because if the students write the exams in second term, what would now happen to the whole of second term. Although, Edo State Government said, the students will still be coming to schools after they write the exams in second term. You and I know that the students will not be coming to schools, if they finish writing their exams,” Comrade Ikponmwen stressed.
Referring to the recent comments made by the Education Commissioner, Comrade Reuben Ikponmwen averred:”The Commissioner of Education, Dr Joan Osa Oviawe said, low income private schools who have not met government requirements approval for registration. That these private schools have no government recognition so government wants to give those schools exams centres for the year.
“It is not done and is illegal to law. Our stand is that if government do not give unapproved schools exam centres to use and the Ministry of Education is concerned about the students in those schools, they should be taken to government schools to write their exams. If the government said they don’t want these unapproved schools to write exams in approved private schools, the students should be taken to government public schools to write the exams.”
Comrade Lucky Adeyan, one of the NAPPS exco members in Egor Local Government Area, said it is wrong for students to remain at home for six months after writing their exams.
Comrade Adeyan said: “It is wrong for a students to be at home in six months. We know what Covid-19 did in this country and the world at large where when the students resume schools, it looks as if they have not learnt anything.
“So allowing such students to spend six months at home before resumption date will be too bad and dangerous for the parents and students. We appeal to the state government to make it normal or make an adjustment after mid- term break.”
Also speaking, NAPPS representative in Oredo Local Government, Comrade Kelvin Egboigbe, said there should be written documents in form of MoU with the Commissioner of Education with the body to know if it requires paying of funds by private schools owners before students from private schools will be allowed to capture for the ID Card and biometrics.
Given his observation the NAPPS Chairman in Uhunwonde Local Government Area, Comrade Daniel Utemeh, Edo State Government has good plans for enhancing of education in the state following the stakeholders meeting held with the government recently and advised state government to be civil and sincere in the approach.
The event also witnessed questions from some of the Proprietors and Proprietress who graced the occasion. Some of them that spoke are Deaconness Alexandra E. Utuyo, from Tovia Christian Academy in Oredo Local Government said she is particularly not in support that Primary 6 and Junior Secondary Schools exams be written in second term in March. She said, it is the same government that is advocating that the students should stay at home for six months.
“When the students finish writing this exams in March, what would they be doing at home from that March. They are definitely going to be at home till September. What would the students be doing at home? So we actually want to keep our children busy and not want the students to be redundant and we need to ensure that these exams are not written in March but at the actual period and time it supposed to be written,” she added.
Also, Pastor Osadebamwen Elijah, the Proprietor of Guidance Academy in Ovia North East local government area said: “I want to look at it from this directive. Government may have their aims and objectives for doing that and saying so. I want to say that, if that be the case, then it is not properly done. For us as proprietors and proprietress getting this information at this particular short time when schools have resumed in this session.”
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