UBONG SAMPSON - UYO
The Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Onofiok Luke has recommended a partnership between the Akwa Ibom State College of Education and the state owned University for a better study reward for graduating students of the college.
Luke made the recommendation, Wednesday at the Assembly Complex in Uyo, when a team from the State Ministry of Education appeared before the Appropriation and Finance Committee of the House to defend the 2018 budget estimate of the ministry.
Addressing the team led by the Education Commissioner, Barr. Victor Inoka, Luke said it was necessary for the state College of Education in Afaha Nsit to run linkages programme in Education with the state owned university to enable the institution award degree programmes for students of the college.
Luke who said he is passionate about the free education programme of the state government, assured of the readiness the legislature in ensuring the success of the programme. He also advised the Commissioner to consider the training and retraining of teachers through continuing education, and suggested that it would be proper for the College of Education in Afaha Nsit to commence affiliation programmes with Akwa Ibom State University, AKSU that would lead to the award of degree certificates to students of the college.
Expressing concern for an improvement in the educational sector in the state in 2018,
Barr. Luke said, "the provision of better educational services for Akwa Ibom children can only be made right at the level of budgeting and further enhanced with approval of adequate funds for the running of the education sector in the state".
Disclosing how he benefitted from bursary in the past as a university student, he urged the Ministry to revisit the matter and consider it necessary for the state government to award bursary to deserving Akwa Ibom students.
His words: "I must do what I can within my powers to ensure that we provide better educational services for our people. And we can only talk about those services from the point of budgeting and approvals that we have".
"I came here today because two things are paramount to me. The free and compulsory education of government... I don't know how you arrived at the total budgetary estimate of the Ministry of Education. I think that the proposal from your ministry is inadequate".
Defending his ministry's budget before the House of Assembly Committee on Appropriation and Finance, the Education boss urged the committee to consider his ministry's request to enable government achieve its set goals in the education sector in the 2018 fiscal year. He hinted that the free and compulsory education programme of the state government was on course.
Reacting, Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Usoro AkpanUsoh assured of the support of the committee to the successful implementation of the free and compulsory education programme of government.
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