GOV. ALIA ORDERS INVESTIGATION INTO ACTIVITIES OF MINISTRY OF EDUCATION FROM 2015-2023. DISCOVERS OVER 4000 SUBSTANDARD SCHOOLS IN BENUE. (PHOTO).

 GOV. ALIA ORDERS INVESTIGATION INTO ACTIVITIES OF MINISTRY OF EDUCATION FROM 2015-2023

……Discovers Over 4000 Substandard Schools In Benue

Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, has ordered an investigation into the activities of the State’s Ministry of Education during the 8-year tenure of his predecessor, Chief Samuel Ortom, spanning from 2015 to 2023.

Sir Kula Tersoo, Chief Press Secretary (CPS), to the governor who made this known while speaking with newsmen in Makurdi, also said government has discovered about 400 substandard school that were operational in the state.

The directive for a forensic audit to be carried out into the ministry is coming at the heels of the intention of Dr Dennis Ityavyar, the commissioner in the ministry within the period, declared his intention to contest the 2027 governorship election against Governor Alia.

INDEPENDENT gathered that the sudden decision to investigate the former Commissioner may not also be unconnected with his condemnation of the policies of the Alia administration, on insecurity and the alleged lack of political will of the state government to enforce the Anti-Open Grazing Law.

Dr Ityavyar, had emphasized that the Alia administration appears to be reluctant to enforce the Anti-Open grazing law, insisting that “If you can’t implement a policy central to the people’s safety and wellbeing, it raises bigger questions.”

However, Kula stated that it has become necessary to carry out the investigation following series of petitions received from National Union of Benue State Students (NUBESS), Community of Tiv Students (CTS) and Parent Teachers Association (PTA).

While the CPS alleged that between 2015 – 2023, the ministry of education sold scholarship forms to all Benue students nationwide at the cost of N500 each, it failed to grant them the scholarship.

He further alleged that the ministry also collected N500 each from over 500,000 secondary schools students across the state for a centralised identity cards, but failed to issue same to the students.

The CPS noted that in another instance, while Ityavyar, held sway at the ministry, it collected another N1,500 from all secondary schools students for ICT annually but made no provisions for ICT centres at the schools nor distributed computers to any school.

On the other hand, the CPS said, “The present administration has stabilized educational sector in the state with it’s various interventions, reason our tertiary institutions are having uninterrupted sessions since this administration came into office.

“For instance, the backlog of 38 months Earned Allowance owed staff of the State University have been cleared

“It will also interest you to know that the present administration has recruited 9,700 qualified primary school teachers to reposition our schools.

“Also, government has identified 4,000 schools that are sub standard and that are not good for learning and do not have qualified teaching personnel.

“In 2023/2024 academic session, this administration paid the WAEC fees for 8,119 students, NECO fees for 8,979 students and also NABTEB fees for 1547 students”, the CPS stated.

Furthermore, Kula stated that apart from the ongoing renovation/reconstruction of 225 public primary schools in the state, government has established a State University Agriculture, Science and Technology, Ihugh, in Vandeikya Local Government Area (LGA) of the state.