Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, has inaugurated over 25 Education Special Marshals and 100 Education Marshals (EduMarshals) with a charge to ensure that all school-age children in the state attend school compulsorily.

Performing the ceremony yesterday in the state capital Asaba, Dr. Uduaghan said that education is the bedrock of every society. He explained that the inauguration of the Education Marshals has become necessary so as to ensure that children of school age, especially the eight per cent that are not in school, benefit from the free education programme of the state government.

Besides, he said that the programme would educate parents on the need to send their wards to school rather than to hawk during school hours.

The governor urged parents to send their wards to school as the state government has provided the enabling environment to give the children the best in education through the provision of free and qualitative education up to secondary school level.

In addition, he disclosed that the government has provided scholarship to Deltans in high institutions of learning, built and renovated schools across the state, employed more teachers and improved the income of parents through the state micro-credit scheme.

Uduaghan’s words: “This programme is a serious business to get our children back to school. Over 8% of Delta children are not in school according to the United Nations statistics; this is as a result of financial, cultural, traditional and economic issues. Government has tried to address these excuses by building and renovating schools in the state, employing more teachers and improving the income of parents through the state Micro-Credit Scheme.”

The governor commended various communities that have inaugurated programmes to ensure that children in their localities are in school and advised them to continue in their efforts as they key into the state government initiative of EduMarshals.

“Education is the best legacy we can bequeath to our children and our society, because if our children are well educated, they can take informed decisions on issues,” he stated.

While addressing school children at the venue, Governor Uduaghan advised them to ensure that they go to school early and stay till the close of school hours as any child caught by the EduMarshals outside school premises during school hours would be punished and the parents sanctioned.

He admonished the children not to hawk or be found selling in their parents stores during school hours while they are supposed to be in school saying: “If your parents give you wares to go and hawk or send you to go to their shops to sell while you are supposed to be in school don’t go.”

Governor Uduaghan named the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and the THISDAY Publisher, Prince Nduka Obiagbena, as Delta Ambassadors of Education because of their commitment to education especially in the state.

The governor also inaugurated about 25 Education Special Marshals and 100 EduMarshals to help monitor this initiative in their respective zones and field of endeavours to ensure its success.

In a welcome address, the Commission of Higher Education, Prof. Hope Eghagha, who represented the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Prof. Patrick Muoboghare, explained that the initiative is to ensure that no child of school age is found outside the school premises hawking or selling during school hours.

Professor Eghagha said the state government made education free to enable every child have access to education but that some parents prefer their economic gains to the education of their children.

In her address, the Executive Assistant to the Governor on Education, Lady Stella Blaize, said the state government was devoted to providing quality education for every child in the state and no parent has the right to deny his/her child such right.

In a Goodwill Message, President of the Nigerian Council of Women Society, Delta State Chapter, Mrs. Chinyere Odili, thanked Governor Uduaghan for the free education programme in the state and assured him that the organisation would key into the EduMarshals’ initiative and ensure that all children in the 25 local government areas of the state are in school.

Also in a Goodwill Message, the Orodje of Okpe, HRM Orhue 1, informed the governor that a similar programme was started in his community about two years ago to ensure that every child is in school and do not hawk or sell during school hours.

He noted that in his community they have District Education Committee and Village Education Committee in charge of the responsibility. He appealed to women to complement government’s efforts by having a manageable family size that they can afford to train and send to school.

•Photo: Governor Uduaghan (left), addressing the Special Marshals moments during the inauguration of Delta EduMarshal Programme . . . yesterday in Asaba.