Bayelsa Asks Tertiary Institutions To Reduce School Fees

The Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State has directed the management of Isaac Jasper Boro College of Education, Sagbama to implement the Governor’s directive on reduction of school fees in all state-owned tertiary institutions.

The state Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, gave the assurance at separate meetings with some stakeholders of Sagbama town led by Hon. Fyneman Wilson as well as management of the College at his office in Yenagoa.

He said government was aware of the challenges facing the school and that steps were being taken to address them, including accreditation and the issuance of certificates to graduating students to enable them seek for employment.
Senator Ewhrudjakpo promised that government would support the effort of the College of Education to finalise the affiliation agreement with the Niger Delta University to enable it award degrees in addition to the National Certificate in Education (NCE) programme.

He also assured that the present administration would take up the perimeter fencing and complete the few uncompleted projects initiated by the immediate past government to improve teaching and learning in the teacher training institution.

“I believe we should be able to create a situation to assuage the plight of the students. I disagree strongly that we cannot give them certificates. I also disagree that they cannot find a place in the labour market.

“I suggest the school should be allowed to issue certificates that will enable the students to secure employment within the state. If we do that, then we would have solved part of the problem,” he said.

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Addressing the Sagbama stakeholders, Senator Ewhrudjakpo expressed gratitude to the people of Sagbama Local Government Area for giving the highest votes to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2019 governorship and December 2020 Senatorial by-elections in the state.

He assured that the Senator Douye Diri-led government was poised to reciprocate their kind gesture by tackling some of the challenges facing the area, including flooding, and directed the Commissioner for Special Projects, Hon Sinkumo Ekisah, to conduct a baseline study on flooding in Sagbama Town and its environs and come up with findings for government to take necessary measures to address it.
In their separate responses, the Chairman, Governing Council of the Isaac Jasper Boro College of Education, Sagbama, Chief Thompson Okorotie and the Provost, Prof.

Timothy Epidi, thanked the Deputy Governor for his interest and efforts in upgrading the College.
They both pledged to bequeath worthy legacies to the College, assuring that the institution would always follow the policy directions of the state government, including the recent directive of the Governor on reduction of school fees.