Plateau to Establish State Senior Secondary Education Board

Seriki Adinoyi in Jos

In an effort to revamp the state education sector for efficient service delivery, Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, has expressed commitment to establishing a state Senior Secondary Education Board.

The governor disclosed this when the Executive Secretary of the National Senior Secondary Education Commission (NSSEC), Dr. Iyela Ajayi, and his team paid him a courtesy visit.

Mutfwang emphasised the need for urgent intervention in the infrastructure of senior secondary schools to create a conducive learning atmosphere to enable students compete favourably with their global counterparts.

Commending the federal government’s initiative in establishing the NSSEC, the governor pledged to replicate a similar setup in the state so that the state can access potential interventions from the commission.

He noted that since the commission was new, there was need to embark on advocacy visit to let the people know that it exits.

The governor said: “I know the debate that has been going on about the gaps at the secondary school level and it is gratifying to note that that government took action to establish a commission to take charge of this critical sector of our educational system.

“The senior secondary school is a very critical juncture in the educational  pursuit of every student. But for some time, it has been very glaring that things have been done haphazardly. The standard is deteriorating and it is a welcome development to attempt to put standard in place for secondary education.”

Mutfwang advocated the inclusion of other secondary schools that are neither private nor public into the commission’s intervention to enhance their contribution in shaping competent young individuals to drive the country’s economy in the near future.

Assuring prompt action, the governor declared that the bill for the establishment of the State Senior Secondary Education Board would be worked on immediately and forwarded to the state House of Assembly without delay.

Meanwhile, Ajayi expressed gratitude to the governor for the warm reception, and explained that the commission would provide infrastructural development for secondary schools, with the state contributing five percent of the funding.

He said the federal government revitalised the NSSEC in 2021 to regulate and improve senior secondary education, ensuring minimum standards and intervention in the Nigerian senior secondary education.

The executive secretary said in order to benefit from the federal government’s intervention fund, states are required to meet certain conditions, including establishing a Senior Secondary Education Board by the NSSEC Act.

The state Board, Ajayi said,  should comply with the composition and functions as provided in the Act, with NSSEC representation and uniformity in SSEB laws.