Rivers Governor Siminalayi Fubara has raised the alarm that 75 per cent of primary schools in the State do not have teachers while 90 per cent are dilapidated.
Fubara, who described the condition of primary schools as troubling, said his administration was focused on turning around the fortunes of education, health and agriculture in the state.
The Governor in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Nelson Chukwudi, explained that he became aware of the deplorable state of the primary schools when a firm, New Global, visited the state for partnership.
He said the firm came to partner with his administration to enhance the capacity of teachers, but he asked them to perform field assessment of the personnel that they intended to train.
Fubara said the report from the field was very disappointing because the firm did not find the number of teachers to undergo the training for the benefit of Rivers’ children.
The governor emphasised the crucial place primary school system occupied in the educational journey of any child in shaping the character, instilling essential skills, and fostering quest for learning, saying it was obviously ignored in the past.
Fubara, however, emphasised that his administration, had its focus firmly on education, health and agriculture sectors to change the ills identified in the system.
Fubara said: “It will surprise you to note that an agency came to Rivers State. They call them ‘New Global’, and they were willing to spend $5million. It is not for infrastructure but to train our teachers, to provide softwares and other things to improve the learning process at the primary level.
“I told them to go round and assess the primary schools in the state. After their assessment, you won’t believe it that 75 percent of our primary schools have no teachers. 90 percent of the schools are dilapidated.
“So, how will you now put in the $5million? So, when I said education, I really mean education. It’s not education where we renovate schools, and call people for commissioning.
“We are talking about touching what is important, because, for us to develop as a society, for us to get it right from the foundation, it is at the primary school level.
“If we don’t have that aspect right as a foundation to preparing our youths as the leaders of tomorrow, then, we have lost it,” he added.
The governor also noted that the tertiary health institutions in the state was overstretched because the primary and secondary health facilities were not functional.
Fubara said that in the coming days, the five zonal hospitals would be revisited so that they could become operational to expand healthcare services available to the people.
He said: “The only health facilities that are functional in this State are the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH), and maybe, the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH).
END.