Bayelsa State Government has said its planning to create a
comprehensive policy that would guide the management of all its tertiary
institutions and the government parastatals towards making them less dependent
on government funding, reports ITReams.
The government, ITReams gathered, is to constitute
sub-committees to study and streamline the various policies that would be
generated, based on the report presented by the Committee on the Management and
Funding of Tertiary Education and Government Parastatals.
Receiving the report of the Committee headed by the Deputy Governor, Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah (rtd), Governor Henry Seriake Dickson gave this indication in Government House, Yenagoa, at the weekend.
The Governor said the State Executive Council would also
analyze the report thoroughly and fashion out relevant policies that would
guide the operations of all tertiary institutions and government agencies in
the state.
Governor Dickson, who stressed the need to reposition such
educational facilities and the government parastatals by making them
self-sustaining, pointed out that, the measure had become imperative, in view
of the dwindling finances of the state, occasioned by the national economic
downturn.
He, however, assured that, the government would support all
tertiary institutions in the state, including the Niger Delta University,
Amassoma as it is the only public tertiary institution in Bayelsa.
Applauding the efforts of members of the committee for doing
a thorough job, Governor Dickson said the government would implement the
findings and recommendations contained in the report and directed the committee
to make a copy of the report available to the State House of Assembly.
Presenting the report, Deputy Governor, Rear Admiral
Gboribiogha John Jonah (rtd), who is also the Chairman of the Committee on the
Management and Funding of Tertiary Education and Government Parastatals, said
the committee was divided into two groups, with one looking at the tertiary
institutions headed by the Secretary to the State Government, while the Head of
Service chaired that of the government agencies.
He explained that an 11 point terms of reference was
established for the tertiary institutions, which include, identification of all
sources of revenue to the tertiary institutions, review and examine the
financial state of the government owned tertiary institutions, staff and
students’ strength as well as how the finances were managed.
The Deputy Governor who said, 7 tertiary institutions in the
state were examined, also highlighted some of the major findings of the
committee to include, challenges in accreditation, least student population,
over-bloated non-academic staff and infrastructure deficit as compared to other
tertiary institutions in the country.
He also recounted the findings on some government agencies
to include, poor management structure, lack of due process in the employment of
staff and wholly dependent on the government for salaries and expenses.
Some of the parastatals examined were, the Bayelsa Transport
Company Ltd, Bayelsa State Broadcasting Corporation, Niger Delta Television,
Bayelsa State Newspaper Corporation and Bayelsa Housing and Property
Development Authority.
Uboshe Uboshe/GEE
Pix: Deputy Governor, Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah (rtd)
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