FG WARNS AGAINST ILLEGAL SALES OF TEXTBOOKS

The Minister of State for Education, Chief Nyesom Wike on Monday warned head teachers of schools against illegal sales or hoarding of textbooks meant for distribution to schools.
Chief Wike, who gave the warning in Akure during the flag off of the South West zonal distribution of instructional materials for basic education institutions in Nigeria said anyone caught in such act would face the wrath of the law.


He said “On no account must these textbooks find their ways to markets and bookstores. I implore the security agencies to arrest any person selling these books or hoarding them in strange places”.
 He added “Parents whose children are without these textbooks should not hesitate to demand them from the head of schools and upon refusal, contact UBEC for appropriate action.


The minister, who said 14 million textbooks on essential subjects including English, Mathematics and sciences have been procured of which 2. 3 million and 672, 600 library materials distributed to the zone.
He praised Ondo State governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko for his administration’s incomparable strides in repositioning the basic education sector especially with the Mega schools in the state.


According to him, with such sophisticated schools, the state will soon become a leading state in the delivery of basic education.
Governor Mimiko, while flagging off the scheme declared that the state government has been procuring and distributing, on regular basis, textbooks written in line with the new 9-year basic curriculum to primary and secondary schools in the state.


He said the curriculum has been reviewed to accommodate more subjects with in-depth knowledge of theory and practical.
Dr Mimiko described the provision of instructional materials as a basic necessity for effective teaching and learning in schools.


According to him, “Instructional materials are the indispensable granules of the required ingredients for success in any educational institution. Indeed, it is an integral part of a systematic and robust intervention package in the education sector.
He noted that the provision of quality education must be on the front burner of the re-engineering process in order to achieve rapid socio-economic and political transformation of our society.


This, the governor explained, necessitated the state government’s massive investment in the restoration and expansion of existing schools’ structures to provide child-friendly environment for effective teaching and learning.
“The outcome of our efforts rubs off positively on the performance of our pupils and students as Miss Falokun Tolulope, who is a product of our public school from St. Louis Secondary School , Ondo, came out in flying colours during the last WASC examination.
“There is also now a spiraling increase in the enrolment of pupils and students in our public schools with the construction of Mega Schools and the attendant 21st Century instructional facilities.  



In his speech, the executive secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr Modibbo Mohammed said the effort was a complementary role of the federal government in the provision of quality education to the pupils and enjoined stakeholders to ensure full utilization of the books and materials.



Also, the state commissioner for education, Mr Remi Olatubura said the state government has been proactive in addressing the various challenges affecting the growth of education in the state.



Dele Awogbami,

Press Officer.