Rivers: 58 schools to lose sponsorship of NECO, NABTEB

Fifty eight of the 257 public schools in Rivers State will lose the government’s sponsorship of this year National Examinations Council and National Business and Technical Examinations Board examinations.

This government in a statement on Wednesday quoted the Director, Secondary Education, Mrs Sokari Davies, as saying that the affected schools did not summit the names of their students.

The statement reads partly, “The Rivers State Ministry of Education directed all principals of public schools to submit the names of their candidates latest on 28th August, 2020, to the Director of Secondary Education in the Ministry.

“This deadline was later extended to 31st August, 2020. At the close of submissions at 6.30pm on 31st August 2020, 199 schools had made their submissions.

“These are the only ones (schools) that can be sponsored, as the Ministry of Education considers that other schools/candidates are not interested and the ministry cannot reasonably wait to move on to the next stage of the process, which was concluded on 1st September 2020.”

Meanwhile, residents of Luawi community in the Khana Local Government Area of the state have appealed to Governor Nyesom Wike, to rehabilitate their secondary school vandalised during cult clashes in the area.

Speaking on Wednesday, a leader of the community, Dan Nwietih, said the school was no longer suitable for academic activities.

He said, “We are calling on the Rivers State Government to renovate our secondary school or build a new one for us because all the equipment and infrastructure had been vandalised, the school is no longer suitable for learning anymore.

“We are begging the government to come and help us so that our children can have a school to attend and learn when school resumes.

“Before now, the students in this community were transferred to schools in other communities and the transport fares are much; let the government help us."