By Stephen Benjamin
Mrs Nanwul Keswet, Proprietress of Hephzibah Bilingual Schools, says private schools deserve support from the federal government through Universal Basic Education Board (UBEC) to boost education in the country.
The proprietress also called on Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to assist private schools because of the important roles they play in advancing the educational standard of Nigeria.
Keswet made the appeal during the celebration of her schools’ French Day, known as “La Francophonie L’annee,” held at the school premises at City College, Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa state on Saturday.
“The pupils and students of the schools are Nigerians just as those in public schools, and so deserve government support in terms of funds, books, and teaching and learning facilities.
“Hephzibah Bilingual schools was established on Oct. 11, 2021, with a vision of raising Godly and well-educated students, who can go out and impact the world as great leaders. French and English are our languages of instruction.”
She described the school as fast growing, having started with only 17 pupils and presently having over 400 pupils and students within a space of four years.
Keswet said the “Francophonie Day” celebration was aimed at promoting the French language and its rich cultural heritage.
She said this explained the presence of visitors from different French speaking countries; Cameroon, Togo, Benin, Garbon, and Cote d’Ivoire.
A guest speaker, Dr Karaya Daniel, a Lecturer with State University of Adamawa, said learning French and English languages open scholarships and employment opportunities for students and graduates in different countries.
Daniel described pupils and students of the schools as “very lucky” considering the advantages opened for them in the outside world.
“There are job opportunities for people who can speak both French and English in countries like Canada, France, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivore, Togo, Benin and Mali, and Gabon among others,” he said.
In his response, Dr Sylvester Nwaorgu, a director in the Ministry of Education, said that the government of President Bola Tinubu was doing a lot in terms of education and expressed optimism that private schools would soon enjoy some privileges.
The director said the government was aware of the enormous contributions of private schools to the lifting of the country’s educational standard
Nwaorgu tasked Hephzibah Bilingual schools to emphasis the need for teachers to focus more on phonetics in teaching French and English in order to promote the culture of speaking rather than writing.
Pst Godfrey Keswet, Chairman of the School, said the management was doing all it could to ensure students gain scholarships within and outside at the tertiary level and be good ambassadors.
“We hope to do all within our power to keep providing and promoting quality bilingualism for our graduands to be good ambassadors wherever they found themselves,” he said.
The News Agecny of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the francophonie day celebration witnessed various activities, including talk shows, choreography, quiz, spelling Bee, dances, and parents’ game.(NAN)
Edited by Ismail Abdulaziz
