Edith CHUKU
Rivers State Commissioner for Education, Dr. Peters Nwagor, has reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to ensuring accessible education for all.
He charged parents to endeavour to send their children to school, noting that school admission and education is free in the state.
Nwagor gave this reaffirmation on Monday, when he and the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Mina Tele Ikuru, embarked on a monitoring exercise to assess the level of compliance by students and teachers on the first day of resumption for the 2026/2027 Academic Session.
The monitoring team, which comprised directors and other senior officials of the Ministry, visited selected schools within Port Harcourt to ascertain the level of resumption and the commencement of academic activities.
Speaking with journalists after the exercise, the education commissioner expressed satisfaction with the impressive turnout of both students and teachers in the schools visited.
He noted that schools had fully resumed, with teachers already present and academic activities commencing in earnest.
According to him, the state government remains committed to ensuring that every child of school age has access to quality education, and he urged students to return to school promptly and take their studies seriously.
In his words: “School admission is free, and education is free in Rivers State. Every parent should endeavour to send his or her child to school without any form of payment. That remains the education policy of the State.”
Dr. Nwagor further stated that the Rivers State Governor, His Excellency, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has taken deliberate and far-reaching steps towards revitalising the education sector and improving learning facilities across the State. He assured that schools in Rivers State would, in the coming months, witness significant upgrades aimed at providing a more conducive environment for teaching and learning.
He therefore called on parents and guardians who were yet to send their children and wards back to school to do so without delay, stressing that normal academic activities had commenced.
In his words: “We have gone round some schools in Port Harcourt and witnessed full resumption in all the schools visited. We are highly impressed by the turnout of students and teachers.”
Dr. Nwagor particularly commended teachers for turning out en masse and encouraged them to remain dedicated to their duties, noting that teachers play a critical role in nurturing, guiding and moulding the lives of young people.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Her Excellency, Dr. Mina Tele Ikuru, encouraged students to be disciplined, diligent and attentive in their studies. She urged them to listen carefully to their teachers, cultivate good learning habits and remain focused on their academic pursuits.
Dr. Ikuru also expressed appreciation to teachers for their commitment and sense of responsibility, describing them as key partners in nurturing young minds and building a brighter future for Rivers State.
The schools visited included Community Secondary School Rumuepirikom, Community Secondary School Olanada, and State Primary Schools 1 and 2, Olanada.
