July 19, (THEWILL) — The establishment of the new University of Agriculture, Science and Technology, payment of 38 months arrears of Earned Allowances at the then Benue State University, as well as the recruitment of 9,700 teachers to fortify primary education in the state, are some of the remarkable achievements recorded by the governor Hyacinth Alia administration in the past two years in office.
Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Sir Tersoo Kula, who made the disclosure while reacting to allegations credited to the immediate past Commissioner of Education in the state, Professor Dennis Ityavyar, said that Governor Alia has failed in governance, and that such a position was in bad taste.
The Chief Press Secretary maintain that the Alia administration within the period also carried out the rehabilitation of 16 Government Secondary Schools, 225 other schools are undergoing reconstruction and rehabilitation, training of primary school teachers on ICT, establishment of faculty of Engineering at the Moses Orshio Adasu University, Makurdi, payment of bursary to 131 Law students to ease their graduation, and established Education Quality Assurance Agency.
He listed other achievements in the sector as payment of WAEC and NECO registration fees to 819 students in the 2023/2024 academic year, while over 4,000 schools that are not recognised to operate in the state have been identified for necessary action.
The CPS chided the former Commissioner for superintending over education in the state for eight years, during which a backlog of Earned Allowances at the Benue State University, primary school teachers’ unpaid salaries, destruction of structures at Government Secondary School, Ihyugh, while the School of Nursing and Midwifery went comatose.
According to the Chief Press Secretary, a firm was contracted during that time for the production of identity Cards for students in Benue schools, for which N500 was collected from over 500,000 students, but the project never saw the light.
He explained that following petitions by the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) and the National Union of Benue State Students (NUBESS), Governor Hyacinth Alia has constituted a forensic audit in the sector, warning that anyone found culpable in the deal will face the wrath of the law.
