By IFEANYI OLANNYE

Delta State Government has said that it will investigate the reason why Itomorka Secondary School, Illah, has not been accredited as an examination centre by the West African Examination Council (WAEC) for 12 years.

The State Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, stated this while fielding questions at a press conference in Asaba on Tuesday.

He said that the state government was poised at carrying out the need assessment of the secondary and primary schools across the where the intervention was need in the area of structure, furniture and teachers in different fields.

According to Aniagwu, any intervention in schools must be based on the need assessment.

“On the issue you raised with respect to Itomorka Secondary School, Illah, I will find out what the issues are to know if there is something that we needed to do.

“But I do not think any government secondary school will stop halfway, it is usually private schools that have such challenge.”

He, however, said that any school in the state, public or private that failed to meet certain criteria would be closed down.

“We are determined as government that any school that is not worth the salt, even if you have been registered and you are not giving out what will help in the development of our children, we will not hesitate to close it down,” Aniagwu said.

Earlier, the Global Peace Development (GPD), a Civil Society Organization (CSO) has called on Delta Government to facilitate the process of ensuring accreditation for Itomorka Secondary School, Illah as WAEC examination centre.

The GPD Executive Director, Ebruke Esike, raised the alarm during a training programme for journalists in Asaba

He noted that he was part of the team that visited Illah to find out the condition of the school and its facilities.

According to Esike, the findings revealed that for 12 years down the line, Itomorka Secondary school has been denied accreditation as WAEC examination centre.

He noted that the implication was simple, adding that no parent would be willing to allow their children or ward to register in a school where they would end up not writing their WAEC and NECO examinations.

“And for government, it is a waste of resources for qualified teachers to be posted and paid salaries for doing nothing.

“Or who will send his or her children to a school where they will end up going to another school at the end of the day to write their WAEC and NECO?

“We were told that the reason for the denial was because the school does not have fence and as such it is not secured to be made an examination centre,” Esike said.

He, therefore, called on the state government to provide the enabling environment and support the school to get accredited for the good of all.

On the state of the art equipment and facility at the school, a teacher, who spoke to journalists on the condition of anonymity, said the community through Illah Development Union of Nigeria (IDUN) has given the school a facelift.

The teacher said the school was founded in 2007 and that all the teachers are qualified and certified.

According to him, IDUN fixed the classrooms, renovated and roofed the dilapidated sections of the school structure including the science laboratory and ICT- block in the school.

“The school is equipped with a computer lab with over 80 functional computers that can serve for the proposed Computer Based Technology (CBT) examinations.

“Our fear is that if the accreditation by WAEC is not secured, parents may decide to withdraw their children from our school to other schools.

“It is also disheartening that after building the students, they leave to write WAEC and NECO in other schools.

“Our efforts and credits will go to the other school where they write their final examination, this is really bad and we have suffered this denial for years.

“We appeal for the state government intervention to secure the accreditation right as WAEC and NECO examination centre,” the teacher said. (NAN)

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