…Census would curb proliferation of ‘miracle centers’

The Benue State Government through the Ministry of Education and Knowledge Management has launched a two-day training workshop for the 2024/2025 school census, to enhance data collection across schools in the 23 Local Government Areas of the state.

Declaring the workshop open on Friday, the Commissioner of Education and Knowledge Management, Rev Dr Frederick Liambee Ikyaan, emphasized the state government’s commitment to educational development.

Dr Ikyaan represented by the Director of Administration and Supply of the Ministry, Mr Nick Joko, told stakeholders that the ministry is ready to facilitate a seamless school census to make data collection more efficient.

He urged area education officers to take the exercise seriously and seek guidance from consultants whenever challenges arise.

The Commissioner also stressed that the school census would help curb the proliferation of unapproved schools, popularly known as “miracle centers,” by identifying and eliminating their illegal activities.

Also speaking, the State Focal Person for the Census, Mr. Iormough Utuku, underscored the importance of accurate school data in addressing infrastructure deficits and enabling the government to plan effectively for the education sector.

Consultant for the programme, Engr. Terpase Kundam, who described the transition to an online school census as a game-changer, further highlighted the efficiency of technology-driven enumeration, making school data more accessible and manageable.

He reiterated that education remains the best investment, and the current administration is committed to ensuring significant progress in the sector.

Engr. Kundam explained that ‘the new online school management system will provide a centralized portal where parents can access school-related services, including fee payments and result checking’.

“The portal will categorize data at the local government, zonal, and state levels”, adding that the programme will be completed within three months.

The Director of Knowledge and Management in the Ministry, Mr. Sunday Ocheje, commended the consultant for his detailed presentation on data collection, while the Director of Tertiary Education, Mr Emmanuel Ochee, urged participants to take the exercise seriously and ensure data accuracy.