BY VINCENT UJUMADU
AWKA— THE Minister of State for Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, has described education as the most sustainable way to eradicate poverty.

He said it was for that reason that President Goodluck Jonathan was striving hard to improve the standard of education in the country to secure the future of Nigerian children.

The minister, in a message he sent to the third anniversary celebration of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools, NAPPS, held at Rojenny Games Village Oba, Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State, noted that education was the bedrock for the development of any society.

The minister, who spoke through Mr. Olu Ayewoh, said though everybody is talking about poverty alleviation, there is only one sustainable poverty eradication and that is education, especially at the basic or primary level.According to him, “there is a link between getting education and surviving anywhere in the world.

“The wealth of any country is in her children and Nigeria needs to improve the quality of what the children learn.”

In his speech, Governor Peter Obi, who was represented by the commissioner for education, Dr. Kay Onyechi said the proprietors of private schools were partners in progress with the state government in ensuring that the children of the state got adequate education.

He said that the government would encourage and romance with private schools that meet the standard for the operation of private schools in the state and would not hesitate to close them down.

Earlier in his address, National President of NAPPS, Dr Said I Mijinyawa said that NAPPS will partner with all relevant examination ethics, group and agencies in fighting examination malpractices.

He urged the Federal Government to prevail on the Federal Ministry of Education to enforce the communiqué of the 54th meeting of National Council of Education (NCE) in Katsina in 2007, which mandated the state and local governments to harmonize taxes on private schools with NAPPS executive at various levels and chapters in the 36 states of the federation and Abuja.