The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has assured that his administration would revamp the School of Health Technology in Benin City, as part of the ongoing reforms of critical educational institutions across the three senatorial districts of the State.
Obaseki gave the assurance when officials and members of the institution’s Student Union Government, led by the President, Comrade Aloysius Igieneh, paid a courtesy visit to the Governor on Wednesday in Government House.
The Governor who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Hon. Osaigbovo Iyoha, acknowledged the challenges facing the institution and assured his administration’s commitment towards making the state a hub for quality education.
“We are giving education a priority and in extension, your school will not be left out. Our policies on education do not just concern basic and secondary schools but tertiary institutions, in order to eliminate the brain drain currently plaguing the nation, and in doing that, we must adopt a holistic approach in setting things right and restoring the glory the state enjoyed in time past,” Obaseki said.
Earlier Igieneh explained that the visit was to intimate the Governor about the challenges being faced by the students.
He said: “The Edo State School of Health Technology is an institution that runs professional courses under different professional bodies and for a program or course to be functional or valid, the course must be accredited by such bodies and most of the courses in the system have already lost accreditation due to one problem or the other.
“The major problem leading to the loss of accreditation by various departments is inadequate support infrastructure in the institution.”
Other challenges according to Igieneh, are: “The school has no functional laboratory for practicals and experiments, the school hall is dilapidated and even the classrooms are in bad condition”
He appealed to the Governor to review the financial situation of the institution, adding, “students pay developmental fees every year and if need be, we plead that the school’s account be reviewed so that the money generated can be used for the development of the institution.
“We also seek the help of the government to reopen the sales of admission forms into the various departments so that prospective students wishing to study in the institution can be accredited”.
