The Edo Gov., Mr Godwin Obaseki, has said that the core of his administration was to revamp the state’s basic education as it was the bedrock of the education sector.
The Governor, represented by his Chief of Staff, Mr Taiwo Akerele, said this when he addressed some primary school teachers under the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT).
He was reacting to a protest staged by the primary school teachers in front of the Edo Government House in Benin on Tuesday.
Obaseki, who said the demands and request of the teachers were in line with government’s plans for basic education in the state assured that the sector would receive adequate funding.
He said that the appointment of a Special Adviser on Education was to show the present administration’s determination to remodel educational system in the state.
Also the Acting Chairman of the State Basic Universal Education Board (SUBEB), Malam Alli Sule, said the state government was trying to restructure the situation in the education sector.
He solicited the teachers’ support to accomplish the task.
Sule said that if autonomy was granted to local governments, the funding of primary school teachers should be removed from their control.
The Edo Chairman of NUT, Loggle Iyalomhe, said the protest was to kick against the perceived plan to allow full control of primary school funding to local government authorities by granting them autonomy.
“We are saying no to Local Governments handling the funding of primary education.
‘’We want the state government to do so because if the Local governments are in charge it will lead to the collapse of the sector.
Iyalomhe said that the protest was nationwide, adding that it had been held in five states.
He said that the major agitation at the state level was sustained funding for primary education and payment of Leave Transport Grant (LTG) for 2015 to 2016.
“The Federal Government can also embrace the first line charge policy where emoluments of primary school teachers would be deducted straight from the federal allocation and paid to the teachers,’’ he said.
Source: NAN
