The Kogi Commissioner for Education Science and Technology, Mr Wemi Jones, has warned against the encroachment of landed properties belonging to public schools across the state.
Jones gave the warning during a routine check on schools on Thursday at Okene Local Government Area in Kogi Central.
The commissioner decried the alarming rate so many premises and properties of schools across the length and breadth of the state had been encroached upon by land grabbers.
“This is very sad, and in our attempt to revamp schools, we are also going to make effort to reclaim as much land as possible from land grabbers, who had illegally taken over the school land, build houses and other structures.
“Some people have made some schools a pathway for cars; this is very sad, and this has happened across the whole state.
“We are in Kogi Central today and we have visited one or two schools and we have seen the very sad development which we are going to make all efforts to address very soon,” he said.
He emphasised that the domains of learning in education was supposed to be total and not just cognitive and effective but should also involve psycho-motor which is extra curricula activities like sports.
He added that encroaching on school football pitch would definitely deprive students of having a total education, and this government would not allow such to happen as it would hinder complete learning.
He stressed the need to go back to the basics and enforce discipline at all level in order to bring about quality education in the state, noting that the major issue remain lack of discipline.
He directed all Area Education Evaluators (AEEs) to go round schools from time to time to ensure that the right thing was done, saying, “we must be disciplined from top to the bottom”.
The Commissioner who visited LGEA Primary School Agassa, Government Girls Science School, and Education Secretary’s office in Okene, disclosed that stakeholders engagement would soon be organised at each local government for effective collaboration.
The Education Secretary, Okene LGEA office, Hajia Saratu Abdullahi, congratulated the commissioner for his appointment while pledging that the teachers at the basic education level would give him all the needed support to succeed.
Mr Sadiq Yakubu, the Zonal Education Evaluator, who spoke on behalf of other AEEs, thanked the commissioner for the visit and promised to intensify effort in monitoring of schools to enhance standard in public and private schools in the district.
The commissioner was decorated with Ebira attire as a sign of love and acceptance by Ebira people.