From Tongnaan Bawa, Jos
Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, has expressed commitment to establish a State Senior Secondary Education Board to revamp the sector for efficient service delivery.
The Governor disclosed this when the Executive Secretary of the National Senior Secondary Education Commission (NSSEC), Dr. Iyela Ajayi, and his team paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja.
In a press statement signed by Gyang Bere, his Director of Press and Public Affairs on Tuesday, disclosed that Governor Mutfwang emphasized the need for urgent intervention in the infrastructure of Senior Secondary schools to create a conducive learning atmosphere to enable students compete favorably with their global counterparts.
While Commending the federal government’s initiative in establishing the NSSEC, Governor Mutfwang pledged to replicate a similar setup in Plateau State so that the state can access potential interventions from the Commission.
The Governor noted that since the Commission is new, there was need to embark on advocacy visit to educate people on its existence.
“I know the debate that has been going on about the gaps at the secondary school level and it is gratifying to note that government took action to establish a Commission to take charge of this critical sector of our educational system”.
The Governor noted that “The Senior Secondary School is a very critical juncture in the educational pursuit of every student. But for sometime, it has been very glaring that things have been done haphazardly. The standard is deteriorating and it is a welcome development to attempt to put standard in place for secondary education”.
He advocated for the inclusion of other secondary schools that are neither private nor public into the Commission’s intervention to enhance their contribution in shaping competent young individuals to drive the country’s economy in the near future.
Mutfwang however assured that the bill for the establishment of the State Senior Secondary Education Board would be worked on immediately and forwarded to the State House of Assembly without delay.
The Executive Secretary of the NSSEC, Dr. Iyela Ajayi, expressed gratitude to Governor Mutfwang for the warm reception and explained that the Commission would provide infrastructural development for secondary schools, with the state contributing 5 percent of the funding.
He said the Federal Government revitalized the NSSEC in 2021 to regulate and improve Senior Secondary Education, ensuring minimum standards and intervention in Nigeria’s senior secondary education.
The Executive Secretary said in order to benefit from the Federal Government’s intervention fund, States are required to meet certain conditions, including establishing a Senior Secondary Education Board by the NSSEC Act.
Dr. Ajayi urged the board to comply with the composition and functions as provided in the Act, with NSSEC representation and uniformity in SSEB laws.