The Federal Government of Nigeria  has invested N1.48 billion in the rehabilitation of Government Science Secondary School, Koton-Karfe, in Kogi State, through the National Senior Secondary Education Commission (NSSEC).

The intervention was facilitated as a constituency project by Sunday Karimi (APC-Kogi) and was formally handed over during an event held at the school.

The Executive Secretary of NSSEC, Iyela Ajayi, disclosed the investment on Friday in Koton-Karfe during the handover of the rehabilitated school, one of 50 selected senior secondary schools across the country.

Ajayi was represented at the ceremony by Olugbenga Adelogun, the commission’s Director of Human Resources.

According to the NSSEC Executive Secretary, the intervention is in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda for transforming the education sector.

Ajayi commended Karimi for facilitating the project, saying the intervention highlighted the contribution elected representatives can make towards complementing government efforts in education.

He said the Federal Government remains committed to strengthening senior secondary education through investments and interventions covering infrastructure, teacher development, digital learning, science and technology, school safety and other areas.

He added that NSSEC would continue collaborating with the Kogi State Government, education authorities, development partners, communities and other stakeholders to improve senior secondary education.

“A school cannot provide quality education effectively if students and teachers do not have a safe, suitable, supportive, and learning environment.

“The project is therefore more than a physical structure or facility; it is an investment in our children, their education, and their future.

“At the NSSEC, our responsibility is to promote the development of senior secondary education and support efforts to ensure that our schools provide quality education to all learners,” he said.

Also speaking at the handover, Emmanuel Egamana, supervising consultant and Acting Head of the Physical Planning and Development Department at NSSEC, gave details of the infrastructure delivered under the project.

He said the three-block construction project was awarded to Messrs First Man Industry Link Limited, with a contractual completion period of 24 weeks.

According to Egamana, the administrative block contains seven offices with capacity for 16 staff members, including offices for the principal, vice-principals, senior master, and records and archives.

The classroom block consists of six classrooms, each designed to accommodate 46 students, in addition to staff rooms and other facilities.

The laboratory and ICT building features four laboratories, each with capacity for 48 students, as well as four ICT laboratories with the same capacity. The building also includes offices, stores and conveniences.

Egamana said the structures were furnished and supplied with laboratory equipment. The project also includes a three-unit inverter system, borehole, overhead water tank and solar street lights.

The project facilitator, Sunday Karimi, was represented by Folusho Daniel (rtd.), who spoke on the importance of education-focused interventions.

Daniel commended President Tinubu for providing what he described as an enabling environment for education to thrive.

He said the project was part of broader interventions being undertaken across Kogi West, covering areas such as water, electricity, solar infrastructure and education.

He urged students to use the facilities responsibly and called on members of the community to protect and maintain the infrastructure for future generations.

The Chairman of the Kogi State Senior Secondary Education Board, Habiba Suleiman, also commended the Federal Government for executing the project in Kogi State and called for additional interventions of the same nature across the state.

The school’s principal, Inusa Dauda, pledged the commitment of the school management to ensuring that the facilities are effectively utilised to improve teaching and learning.

Dauda, however, appealed to both the Federal and Kogi State governments to provide perimeter fencing around the school to address security concerns and prevent theft.

He said the school premises remained porous and noted that the single security guard currently deployed to the institution was insufficient to adequately manage its security challenges.

“It becomes pertinent for the state stakeholders of this school to put hands on deck to provide the necessary machinery for the utilisation, maintenance, and safety of the properties,” he said.

The principal also requested additional security personnel and teachers to strengthen the school’s capacity to provide quality education.

Source: TechAfricanews