By Favour Nnabugwu

Chairman, Senate Committee of Federal Capital Territory, Senator Smart Adeyemi, has said government schools can still regain its past glory if the Federal Government can improve funding and infrastructures to the schools.

Adeyemi, at the Cultural/Founders Day of Ultimate International School, Abuja, appreciated the contributions of private schools to national development but for the cheap labours and high school fees.

“The private schools are helping to a large extent but these government schools can be at par if they are effectively funded and the teachers well trained and monitored to transform the delivery of education to students of public schools.

Represented by the Clerk, Senate Committee on FCT, Mr. Folajin Olufemi, Adeyemi blamed the decay in public schools on government’s failure to do the right thing.

“In our days, we studied hard so as to be admitted into any of the federal government colleges or secondary schools but the reverse is the case today. All these would change if public school teachers are well paid and entry level into a teaching profession is enhanced.

“Not that I don’t believe in private schools, but some of them don’t play by the rules anymore. A typical scenario is teachers come to class and the next thing is to give assignments or make them to copy notes, even till the parents come to pick them up.”

“At the end of the day, save for their spoken English, private school students have little or nothing to show for all the notes they copy.”