Principals condone indiscipline, indolence – Minister

The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Anthony Anwukah, has said that principals of some Federal Unity Colleges condone indiscipline and indolence thereby making it difficult for the schools to operate fully as centres of excellence. He stated this at the 2017 annual general meeting of principals of the 104 Federal Unity Colleges in Kano, […]

The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Anthony Anwukah, has said that principals of some Federal Unity Colleges condone indiscipline and indolence thereby making it difficult for the schools to operate fully as centres of excellence.

He stated this at the 2017 annual general meeting of principals of the 104 Federal Unity Colleges in Kano, a statement said.

Prof. Anwukah maintained that principals of colleges across the country should take responsibility for the good or poor performance of their students in public examinations such as the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE) and the National Examination Council (NECO).

Represented by the ministry’s Director of Human Resources, Alhaji Auwalu Koko, the minister also said principals must prove their competence through the improved performance of their students. He however acknowledged some improvement in the performances of many schools in the last examinations put at 59% for SSCE and 70% for NECO respectively.

Prof. Anwukah stressed that government on its part was doing everything possible to provide the enabling environment for the school heads to effectively perform their functions by strengthening the relevant departments in the education ministry.

He announced that states and the Federal Capital Territory have been sensitized on the need to weed out unregistered teachers from the system. 

In his remark, the Permanent Secretary,  Sonny Echono, an  architect, represented by the Director of Basic and Secondary Education, Mohammed Karage, said tackling the issue of teacher capacity was necessary to bridge the gaps relating to students’ performance.

While commending the theme, ‘Human Capital Development: A Veritable Tool for Academic Excellence in Federal Government Colleges’, Echono also commended the efforts of key stakeholders in college administration including the Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs) and the School Based Management Committees (SBMC) for their complementary roles.