Edo State Government has introduced Executive Teaching - an initiative that would require the Governor, his Deputy, commissioners and directors to serve as guest teachers twice a week in select public schools.
Speaking while monitoring resumption of schools for the 2012/2013 academic session on Monday, the commissioner for Education, Mr Ekpenisi Omorotionmwan said the idea is to stand Edo out educationally in the country.
On the insistence of the state that both public and private schools resume September 10 for the session, the commissioner said the aim is to ensure that the state operates a uniform school calendar, adding that schools that failed to resume would be shut down.
"Schools in Edo state private or public without exception resume on Monday 10th September 2012 that any school in this state that fall short of this requirement will go in for it. Any private school that does not reopen for commencement of academic work will be closed down. We may be forced to withdraw the license of these schools because we cannot continue like that.
When asked the essence of the uniform school calendar, Omorotiomwan said the aim is to ensure uniformity and standard in all schools. He said only those schools that sought permission to resume later will not be sanctioned.
"A few school have come to seek permission of the ministry to resume a day or two later than others specifically O.L.A in Airport road. They have written to say because of the massive renovation which we encourage and transformation that is ongoing in the school, they may have to take a few days and we have permitted that. I have taken pains to find out why some of them did not want to obey the uniform school calendar. It's because they want to be unique and that is a stupid way of been unique," he said.
In future, Omorotiomwan said that the state will conduct unified examination for both private and public schools to ensure all are up to standard.
"It is to enhance the standard and ensure uniformity since it's the same curriculum and the same scheme of work; they should be able to write the same exam. Don't forget examination is not just a test of students alone; it's also a test of the teacher.
“We want to be able to know why the students failed in one part of the state and they did well in other parts of the state. That should be able to check the teachers to ensure that they are doing what actually they should do in the lives of the children," he said.
The SchoolGist Team.
