YENAGOA (Sundiata Post) – The Bayelsa State Commissioner for Education, Hon. Jonathan Obuebite, has called on Indigenes of the state especially students in higher institutions not to substitute their academic future for iPhone, stressing that the cost of such expensive phones could rather be expended in securing one academic session.
Obuebite made the call while presenting his ministry’s achievements during the State Inter-Ministerial/Agency briefing at the Gabriel Okara Cultural Centre on Thursday.
According to the commissioner, students should limit their appetite for costly phones and expensive materials, urging Bayelsa youths to sacrifice the four years of incubation to be useful to their families and society at large.
He called on parents to avoid indiscriminate child bearing and also invest consciously in the education of their children, emphasiding on the importance of giving birth to the number of children they can take care of.
He said, “It is my humble pleasure to call on parents especially our mothers to consider the academic future of their children seriously. Invest your resources in the education of your children instead of buying wrappers and jewelry.
“Sacrifice for your children now. If it will take you to sell your wrappers and jewels, sell them and train your children in school. By the time they will come out as great men and women, they will buy you boxes of wrappers.
“And to our fathers, limit the number of children you give birth to. You should give birth to the number of children you can take care of. To our political leaders, consider other Bayelsa children and be responsible for at least one child. On that note, I declare to our leaders, ‘Operation Train One Child’.
Earlier in his presentation, Obuebite disclosed that the Bayelsa State government has spent over N1.95 billion as counterpart fund in providing facilities in education since 2014, adding that soft loans were provided for less privileged students to access quality education.
He said more than 500 primary schools, 400 blocks headmaster’s quarters, 160 secondary schools, 413 buildings constructed and renovated sinice the inception of the restoration government.
The commissioner further noted that under the present administration, another state-owned university, the University of Africa, Ijaw National Academy and a state polytechnic in Alaibiri which will take off by September were constructed.
