Government laments poor state of model schools

The Federal Government has lamented that many of the over 100 Junior Girls Model Secondary Schools built across the country are in ruins and abandoned by the various state governments. 

It however lauded the Plateau State government for making good use of the four model schools in the state. Executive Secretary, Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr Hamid Bobboyi, who stated this during an advocacy and monitoring of projects executed by the commission in Jos said the visit was to further encourage the governors to make good use of the existing structures to boost enrollment and also see where the federal government can assist.

The schools were built by the Federal government during the last administration of President Goodluck Jonathan through the 2014 special intervention programme of UBEC and handed over to states to manage as part of efforts to reduce the number of out-of-school children as well as bridge the gap of boy and girl-child education in the country. 

Bobboyi, who was represented by the Deputy Executive Secretary, Dr Yakabu Gambo said the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, concerned with the development, directed the governors to utilise the structures in the best interest of the Nigerian child. 

He commended Plateau State for being the first to respond to the earlier directive by the Federal government to put the structures in the states to use. The delegation were impressed that two out of the four schools in the state were already running full boarding system.

In his remarks, the state chairman of SUBEB, Prof. Mathew Sule, said the various initiatives by the present administration has led to over 3.1 percent increase in school enrollment in the state. He however appealed to the Federal government to ensure that the children in the model schools are given the needed environment that would enhance effective teaching and learning.