NNPC official faults S’east’s performance in national quiz competition

THEGroup General Manager ( Public Affairs) of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation ( NNPC), Garba Muhammad, yesterday, decried the poor performance of South East schools in the zonal finals of the National Quiz Competition and tasked governments of the region on the need to improve standards.

Muhammad, represented by the Manager, Community Impact Investment of the corporation, Mrs. Doris Ohia, during the quiz competition held in Enugu, said he is disappointed with the performance of students on parade.

He, therefore, urged the various state governments in the zone to return to the drawing board and improve the standard of education, especially, science education in their states.

He said: “I am not impressed with the performance I saw here. The students are poor in English Language, Mathematics and Physics, and I wonder how they will cope in the national finals.

“The various state ministries of education have a lot to do. They need to go back to the drawing board and intensify efforts.”

Muhammad said that the NNPC had made interventions in education over the years as part of its corporate social responsibility.

Speaking, the Vice Principal, College of Immaculate Conception, Enugu, Rev. Fr. Christopher Agbo, attributed the poor performance of the students to dearth of qualified teachers in the sector.

Agbo said that reading culture was on steady decline due to the erroneous belief that education was not rewarding.

“We do not have good science teachers in our secondary schools. State governments should get the best teachers back to our schools,” he said.

He commended the NNPC for the initiative, which, he said, would encourage students to take their studies seriously.

The state Commissioner for Education, Prof. Uche Eze, said that the performance of the students was an eyeopener and required urgent attention.

Eze, who was represented by the Director of Science Education in the ministry, Mrs. Margret Ayogu, urged the students not to be demoralised as they prepare for the national finals of the competition.

“We have seen their performance. We have assignments to do and it is my wish for us to scale through at the national level,” Eze said.